Mirror bound 2 : Past lives
by LopendVuur
Summary: Satyr Lukas ends up back in ancient Greece with his beloved friends. They set out to help Lukas' daughter Katarina, who is in big trouble over causing insurgence amongst her people. Will they uncover the plot against Lukas and his father Hermes, and will Paul and Melissa's love survive the different morals of ancient Greece?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

As Lukas rolled out of the portal, he landed on his feet and took a good look around, all his senses primed for danger. The place hit him with its hot and stifled air and sulphurous stench, and a dozen memories, all bad.

Still he felt excited rather than afraid or lost in the past, not in the least because of the weight of the gun tucked in his belt. People often called him good or even innocent, though never naive, but to Lukas that didn't mean much. He was just himself, and now he felt powerful because he had a big gun and friends on their way.

Part of him wished to take those friends, and the gun, and search these luminescent tunnels for a few of those demons and teach them a lesson, get his revenge on them for what they had done to him. But that side of him was not very strong and he could ignore it easily, so he waited for Melissa to come through the portal, keeping an eye on the tunnel on both sides.

And the next moment her beautiful face came through, looking around but focussing on him, and he held out his hands to help her through. It was quite a squeeze, Melissa was built on a very luscious scale and tall as well, and as he helped her stand up the thought of her soft white flesh underneath her simple linen dress gave him a flash of heat.

But this was neither the place nor the time to think of making love, so he suppressed the feeling and kept a good look on the tunnels. His urges had gotten him in trouble often enough, but he hoped he was a bit wiser now.

Melissa's dad seemed to think so. He had not asked to speak with Lukas before they all came here, but he had spoken at length with Paul, and a few moments with his daughter, and both were in some distress afterwards. Lukas' newly awakened Gift had caught their strongest feelings, and both were worried that going to Lukas' world would damage their love for one another.

Jakob must have warned them that the different morals in the world they were visiting would not leave them untouched. Lukas knew this would happen, but he trusted in himself to right any problems springing up between them because they would be expected to share love more freely. He would keep an eye on their feelings, and if something went askew he'd just solve the problem.

The immovable bond between Paul and Melissa was the foundation of his own stability, the one thing that made his ever strengthening calling bearable, he was certainly not going to let that weaken even the slightest bit.

Everything would be all right.

As soon as she was on her feet, Melissa noticed Lukas keeping an eye on the tunnels, so she watched the portal for the next arrivals. Almost immediately, her own luggage came through, and Paul's, then Paul's head appeared, and she helped him out and on his feet as Lukas had helped her. When he was on both feet again, they simultaneously shouldered their backpacks and took a good look around.

They were in a large tunnel, natural or hewn, that was impossible to see in the dim lighting. Come to think of it, it was a miracle there was light at all, it seemed as if the walls gave off a slight luminescence, enabling them to see about ten yards ahead in both directions.

The air was hot and stifling, and smelled very unhealthy. It was a miracle that Lukas didn't suffer from a lung condition, having been kept captive here for months.

Melissa quickly checked on him, and he did not seem distraught by being in the place of his captivity once again, he seemed excited, actually. His voice broke the silence of the tunnel: 'This way leads to a large grotto, the other one leads outside, but you don't want to go there, it's horrible and dead and the stench is worse.

Actually, I suggest we leave this place as quickly as possible. My father told me we can stand in a group and activate the spell once. Will you do the honours, Paul? Your Greek is well-accented, and you have the most power.'

Standing close together and holding hands, Paul now spoke the spell Hermes had taught all three of them, and Melissa immediately felt it take effect, making her dizzy, the floor seemed to drop a few feet, she couldn't see or feel her body anymore, but before she got really scared she felt a hard surface under her feet and the dizziness stopped.

The smell alone told her they were somewhere else entirely, it was still hot, but the air was no longer thick, and though it was slightly musty, it was fine to breathe.

As she looked at her companions in the bit of light a long narrow horizontal slit in the wall provided, she could see Paul was fine, looking around him warily but also excitedly.

But Lukas did not look so good. He was flat on his face as if he'd been struck with something, and reaching out to him she felt he was shaking, tiny tremors running up and down his body. His breathing was heavy and slow, he seemed to be suffering some fit.

Lukas of course had been taken along on these spell-bound journeys since he was a young child, so he knew the dizzy feeling and the lack of sensory input, he knew it would only last a minute. But as soon as he had found his feet back on solid ground, he was struck with a very powerful feeling, like a lightning strike but only slightly painful, and the overwhelming force threw him to the ground.

For a moment he could not move, his body was shuddering with the power moving through it, and his nerves screamed at him from the tips of his toes and the bases of his horns, and everywhere in between.

His body was still paralysed with the shock, and there were tremors rippling through his skin, but he was not in pain and he did not feel bad at all. On the contrary!

The first thing he became aware of, was Melissa holding him and calling to him in a panicked voice. He couldn't understand what she was saying, there was a rushing noise in his ears that drowned out every sound from outside, and he could not move, yet. There was nothing he could do physically until his body had completed its transformation, so he moved his awareness to his own insides.

The main thing he felt was power, more magic power than he had ever seen accumulated in any being, except his father just before he went through the portal. The power was everywhere, it filled his senses completely, it caused the rush in his ears, and the tremors on his skin.

As he started to become used to being so full of power, his attention started to broaden a little, and he found other changes. His legs, already heavily muscled, now seemed stronger than mere flesh, they felt as a coiled metal spring, ready for explosive action.

His mind no longer seemed to have a boundary, very scary at first, to have no limit to his thoughts, but he also found he could concentrate to the exclusion of everything else, and realized he had in fact totally shut off his connection to his friends. It had been totally automatic, and it had been total, for a few moments they had just ceased to exist.

That was when he realized what had just happened, the detachment he experienced proved to him without a doubt that he had just come into his own, had been transformed into a god. Again, Jakob had alluded to this, Melissa's father had known that the feelings he experienced when healing people were not supposed to stick with him. The mental trauma he lived through with his patients again and again, the physical pain he shared as if he was hurt himself, he was supposed to be able to let that go, to be detached from it, as he was now detached from the two people he loved most in this world and theirs.

His Gift had come upon him in a world not his own, and he had used it to help people, but the things he experienced whilst healing became part of his own experiences, part of his character. He couldn't let go of them.

Jakob had known that as soon as he set foot on his own world, his body would transform to house his enormous Gift properly, with the amount of power it needed to be used, and the detachment he needed to stay sane. The fears he had had from the moment his Gift had started to grow out of proportion to his person were no longer based on reality, he could let them go.

But the love he felt for his friends was now also in danger of being lost, the friends who had come with him to save him from his own Gift, who were risking their lives, and unknowingly, their love for each other, all for him. He did not want to lose the intense love he felt for them in this new detachment and in the expansion of his mind, and fortunately with a bit of searching he found that he still had it, exactly as it had been.

He wanted to share his life with them so much, the crafting, the loving, the quiet life, hopefully soon enriched with some students and some children, sadly not his own, but Melissa and Paul's would be fine too, or even orphans.

He wanted to go back to Victorian London very much, and right now he wanted to see and feel his friends again as well as love them.

When he directed his attention outwards again, he saw both Paul and Melissa really close to him, but averting their faces, eyes closed as tightly as they could. He realized he was glowing with power, so he slammed a shield in place. As soon as the light was gone, they looked at him, in worry and wonder.

His body could move again, and how!, so he sat up on his knees and felt their intense relief wash over him, and over that, their intense love, and this made him so incredibly happy that he laughed out loud, gathered both of them in his arms, and said: 'Wow!'

When Paul had found himself back on solid ground after the disorientation of the spell, he checked the room they were in and it was as dark as one would expect from a basement, the only light coming in from a ventilation opening high up in one wall.

The room was empty, the walls made of rough plaster, the floor a magnificent multicoloured mosaic with detailed scenes depicting Hermes in all walks of his life. Looking around, he saw Melissa dropping to her knees, bending over Lukas' still shape. His body looked as if it had been thrown to the ground with force, and little shocks were still causing it to shudder, it was a horrible sight.

Quickly, he sank to the ground as well, reaching out for Lukas' neck to feel his pulse, and check whether he was breathing.

His vital signs were fine, but his condition was still worrying, something was going on inside Lukas and it didn't look good. Melissa was distraught, she tried to get a reaction from Lukas but he was not responding. Paul put an arm around her to calm her a little, but in the meantime, he didn't feel all that calm himself. His dear friend seemed to have been struck by something powerful, but it could not have been the spell, it was just a simple translocation spell, and there was no-one here but themselves.

Slowly, Lukas started to light up as if he was working magic, only the light intensified until it hurt his eyes and he had to avert his face. Then it suddenly went out, and at the same time his friend started to move. Lukas rose to his knees in one fluent move, wrapped both Melissa and himself in a loving embrace, and said: 'Wow!'

Just: 'Wow!' nothing more, no explanation, but Paul was so happy to see his loving friend alive and looking rather well, that he didn't say anything, he just enjoyed the three-way hug and the love it contained.

When kneeling became uncomfortable, Paul sat down on the mosaic floor and looked at the others. Melissa was clearly relieved, he knew she loved Lukas nearly as much as she loved him, a fact that had taken him some time to accept, but she had so much love to give, and he had learned to love Lukas himself, so he never felt cut short.

He took her hand and squeezed it gently, glad they had made it here safely after all.

And Lukas, whatever caused him to sprawl blacked out on the floor, it had clearly not done any lasting damage, and it had been quite profound. He was still a bit stunned, eyes filled with wonder, flexing his arms and hands, touching his incredibly muscular legs as if they hadn't been his for half a century.

Paul was nearly dying of curiosity, but he had never had the habit to ask people's minds, if one just kept quiet and gave them the opportunity, they usually spoke their thoughts all by themselves, and the extra time he gave them to formulate usually meant they made a lot more sense, and were often a lot more forthcoming.

In the months he had been together with Melissa, he had noticed that she had started to emulate him in this, which she did now, and so they watched Lukas together, sitting on the gorgeous mosaic floor hand in hand, until he would be ready to explain his exclamation.

Actually, Lukas had been one of the few people on whom Paul's method had not worked, when they first knew each other his persisting silence had often given Lukas a lot of stress, as he had been aching to tell Paul something but didn't dare to speak.

Lukas had no idea where his awe of Paul had come from, he had felt it from the first time he met him, and even a growing intimacy with the serious young man had left him still unable to touch him familiarly.

Of course, they hadn't started out on the best of terms, Lukas had dropped into Paul's life unexpectedly as the dependent alien lover of the woman Paul admired in secret, well, not exactly in secret, for she knew of Paul's interest in her, but at the very least silently, for Paul had managed to hide the depth of his devotion to Melissa incredibly well, so that she only found out about it much later, after she had taken immense trouble to hunt him down and get him to love her.

But Lukas had felt the intensity of Paul's love for Melissa from the start, and had not understood why the man didn't tell her about it, nor did he understand why his own presence was unwelcome to Paul, for he had no idea what jealousy was.

Still, Paul had always been friendly to Lukas, had never taken his jealousy out on him, so there was no reason for Lukas to be afraid to touch him. Except that as he got to know Paul better, through being taught by him, through the unfortunate affair with his horns, through working and living with him, he had fallen as much in love with Melissa's admirer as he had with her.

But by then he had learned that people existed who were strictly monogamous, unable to love more than one person, and Paul was one of them, setting Lukas up for rejection of his own still-growing love for the man he admired for his seriousness, and his artistry, and all right, for his beauty as well.

Was it his fear of rejection that had caused Lukas to feel such adulation, such an almost fearful love for this man who could have been his son?

By the time Lukas realized his reverence for Paul was not natural, he could no longer rationalize where it had come from, he could not even resist it anymore, he was hopelessly caught in an unending circle of admiring Paul, wanting to touch him, not daring to touch him, admiring him even more.

And Paul had not blamed him for that reverence, had accepted his love, had tried to wean Lukas away from his fearful admiration slowly, by becoming ever more intimate with him, by giving himself to Lukas as much as he could. Only when Lukas' real age had become know, at the same time that his Gift had begun to increase beyond human comprehension, had Paul started to become uncomfortable with the awe in which Lukas held him, but by then they had fortunately become so intimate already, that Lukas had gained a lot of trust in Paul's love for him, and he had managed to largely get over the feeling of awe and to just touch him whenever he felt like it.

So it was now, Lukas was no longer awed by or in fear of Paul, he used the silence Paul offered him for what it was meant to give, time to collect his thoughts, time to formulate what he wanted to say. And he was going to explain to them what had happened, but first he was going to give them a little love, for all the power that had been given to him was overflowing and he wanted to share it with the friends who had given him so much of their own love.

Melissa could clearly see something had changed, again, or maybe further was better, in Lukas. Paul's silence used to make him insecure or uncomfortable, but now he used it as Paul offered it, to collect his thoughts before he spoke, and this time Lukas' thoughts were lengthy and profound.

Still, he reached his moment of communication, and with it proved that he was no longer afraid to touch Paul, for he got up, kneeled in front of him, and at the same time embraced him and kissed him ardently.

That kiss was answered with fervour, and as usual, Melissa did not feel excluded by it, but very much stimulated. And after Lukas had satisfied his need to give Paul some love, he moved to Melissa herself, and kissed her as ardently and as lengthily, leaving her breathless afterwards.

Then he sat back down and said: 'I think I just came into my own. My body has changed and my mind has changed, they have adapted to the size of my Gift.

Your father knew this would happen, Melissa. You will not believe how much power I have, you'll never need to feed me power again.

I no longer fear my destiny, the trauma and the hurt of the people I heal can no longer control my mind for I have been given detachment. But I greatly fear that the detachment will cause me to drift from my love for you. Will you remind me to stay close to you?'

Of course Melissa had been afraid to lose Lukas since his change had set in, pretty much after he had started healing regularly. He had been growing up so fast, often showing his life-experience, losing his rakishness. A lot of that was due to the things he had experienced of course, and being able to let those memories go might bring his innocence back.

But at the same time, to suddenly become detached from humanity was a real danger to his loving nature, the part of Lukas she loved most, the heartbreakingly sweet, cheeky rascal, was as far from a god as she could imagine. Melissa knew the coming days would be crucial.

They would both have to stay close to him and remind him of his love for them constantly, for if they didn't, her fear would certainly come true. It was clear Lukas was now a god, at least in this world, and everyone knew Greek gods were notorious for their thoughtless treatment of mortals, even those they loved.

Whilst she was contemplating, Paul, always the decisive one, had already taken action. Lukas was in his arms, having his horn-bases very gently scratched, eyes half-closed.

Of course Melissa wanted her share of the loving too, sitting down next to Paul she kissed him, and soon felt a nimble hand moving up her dress and caressing her thighs with greed. She had had several dresses made in a style and materials suitable to a much hotter climate and much looser morals, taking advice from both Lukas and Frances, the latter having visited modern Greece only a few years ago.

The cream dress she was wearing now was long and flowing, made out of cool linen, it wrapped around her and was held with a mulberry coloured sash. She was not wearing a corset, Lukas had told her no-one did in his world, and it was an incredible relief to do without, for the heat already was oppressive, she didn't want to think of how a close-fitting, double stitched garment would feel against her sensitive white skin.

Her breasts missed the support and the protection of the corset, but she guessed they would soon become accustomed to their new freedom, it was clear that the men in her life already had, for besides the hand underneath her single-layered, loose fitting dress, now slowly moving upwards to a place she felt heating up rapidly, another hand, as nimble though a bit larger, was exploring the new dress' freedom by caressing her breasts, whilst its owner was still kissing her with fervour, and transferring his own rising ardour to the horn he was scratching ever more firmly now.

The guys still wore their customary linen shirts, and Paul his linen trousers, leather vest and even his high boots. Lukas had told him they would be too hot, but Paul didn't have any other shoes, and of course he could buy suitable shoes as soon as the boots became uncomfortable.

Lukas had ditched his shoes before he went through the portal, but had kept his trousers a little longer, he had gotten used to them, he said. But now they seemed to have magically disappeared from his body and he remembered his beloved friends clearly, no detachment in sight, on the contrary, he sported an impressive erection, and projected a growing need to become active.

First, his hand exploring Melissa's thighs made its move, inserting a few fingers into her moist and throbbing opening, causing her to moan and start unbuttoning some shirts. Then, with a little careful manoeuvring, and some nimble action of its slender fingers, Lukas' other hand unbuttoned Paul's trousers and took his solid erection in a firm grip.

His mouth, with the dented lip and the cute, innocent expression totally restored, found Paul's as well, leaving Melissa's tongue free to find something more solid to pay attention to. Lukas soon felt where her attention had gone, and his kissing and touching intensified until he could no longer control his need to thrust. Despite their fervour, now totally unleashed, they managed to lose the rest of their clothes and rearrange their situations to accommodate Lukas' need for some action.

A few minutes saw him thrusting happily, hands now checking out Melissa's breasts, whilst Paul was distractedly contemplating how he had never expected to be watching his lover making the girl of his dreams shudder with ecstasy, whilst being given that same feeling by her mouth enveloping his penis, feeling her tongue explore every inch of its smooth head, causing him the same exquisite feeling, her one hand playing gently with his testicles, making him mad with lust, and eager to get something in his mouth as well.

But he soon forgot every rational thought as his ecstasy started to rise too high, forcing him to remove himself from her mouth, and kiss her fervently instead, not wanting this to end already, needing some time to compose himself again.

Now he wanted to lie between Melissa's legs and use his tongue to make her shudder with pleasure, and from the corner of his eye he could see his time was near, for Lukas was now in the throes of a climax coming up. Lukas did not wilt like cut grass after one climax, which irritated Paul sometimes, but on the other hand, it was nice to see him in such a moment of ultimate bliss, and at this moment it was stunning to watch him, for his already incredible stamina and speed seemed to to have been increased until he practically blurred to Paul's vision.

The effect on Melissa was apparent, her bliss had been rising steadily, and he had felt her get a high already when she still had him in her mouth, but now her expression rose to total surrender, and she physically shook at her release.

It was a little difficult to witness, for Lukas was clearly the master of loving, and Paul always felt barely competent compared to his superbly skilled friend.

Melissa steadily denied that making love to Lukas was better, but how could that be, anyone could see that Lukas beat him on every score. The distinction with which Lukas had always treated Paul had always made him feel a little less inadequate, but ever since his steady rise to godhood Lukas' reverence had made Paul very uncomfortable, and now Lukas had his beloved shaking in bliss right in front of him.

At the moment of his release, Lukas had felt nothing but triumph, his love confirmed, his body still able to feel ordinary lust, his speed increased to inhuman heights. But as soon as the high left him, he felt doubt and inadequacy that was clearly not his own. Paul.

Witnessing Lukas making love to the woman he loved beyond all reason had always been difficult for Paul, and watching the master of love improved with godhood had not improved that. Melissa had never managed to explain to Paul how making love was not a race, how making love to Paul was different and just as good, his patience, his steadiness, his undying devotion to her alone. Lukas understood perfectly, but the man who needed to, didn't.

There was only one solution, love. Paul needed to feel the love Melissa felt for him, and the immeasurable love Lukas felt for him. Lukas wished so dearly that Paul would allow him to make him shudder with release, but that would never be. Or would it?

Melissa could not pick up Paul's feelings as Lukas had, but of course she knew something was up as soon as Paul had quit kissing her and watched Lukas perform. He seemed to enjoy the sight at first, but then she had lost sight of him and now he was despondent. It was a mistake to make love together, they should have waited, but the last times had been so good, everything had worked out so well together. Of course Lukas had been very needy then, and now he was incredibly self-assured, and his speed was inhuman. Paul must be feeling unable to compete with a god, except, making love was not a competition, and not about speed. That was just something Lukas enjoyed doing.

Lukas sat down on Paul's lap, both still naked, Lukas' fervour spent for now, Paul's drained by a troubled mind. Putting his arms around Paul, feeling the muscles only years of forging could build, smelling his masculine scent enhanced by making love and by the Greek summer heat, Lukas felt his lust already stirring again.

He begged for a kiss, and got a surprisingly generous one from Paul, accompanied by a feeling of hopeless love. That gave him confidence and made him smile broadly, and a broad smile on Lukas' face was always enough to melt even the hardest heart.

'You still love me,' Lukas said huskily, 'that is good, for I want to make love to you too. Love is not a competition, Paul. It just is.' Talking clearly didn't help, it only made the hopeless feeling worse. Lukas now started to really feel it, detachment out of the window, smile gone: 'Paul, take care, you're making me sad, and you know there is a penance for making a god cry.'

Humour did help, for Paul's face cleared instantly, and he said with a genuine smile: 'I'm sorry Lukas, I suddenly felt so inadequate, and now I've totally spoiled the mood. Tell me what the penance is, and I'll pay for my crime to both of you.'

'You're not inadequate, and your penance to Melissa is, to prove it by making her shudder in total ecstasy. And your penance to me, is to subject yourself to my love,' Lukas brought this with a very solemn face, which cleared the mood even more.

Paul now hugged Lukas tightly, put him off his lap and bowed down before him, saying: 'I defer to your wisdom, master.' Of course this made Lukas all shy again, making him irresistible, and Paul moved over to kiss him, but Lukas said: 'Better get to it, your woman is waiting.'

Which she was, and as Paul kneeled between her legs, stroking her curves, kissing her, holding her breasts, Melissa said: 'It has always been you I wanted, Paul, and it will always be you. Lukas knows it, I know it, why won't you believe it?'

'I do believe it, beloved,' Paul said with feeling, 'don't mind me, I was just awestruck for a moment. It has passed,' and then he resolutely spread her legs, kissed her coppery pubic curls then gently moved them to the side, and dug in greedily, licking her where she reacted the strongest until her whole body trembled with ardour and rising bliss.

Of course the taste and soft flesh of his beloved under his tongue caused his own ardour to rise again, and he was relishing the confidence Melissa's obvious enjoyment of his ministrations gave him, when he felt a very gentle touch on his own inner thigh.

It was slightly disturbing, but also rather enticing, and he subjected himself to the feeling, wondering what would be next. But the hand did nothing Paul wasn't comfortable with, it stroked his butt-cheeks, running very briefly through the cleft between them, then handled his testicles very tenderly, stroking the soft skin, causing him to shiver as delightedly as Melissa was under his tongue.

When she froze momentarily in release, the hand on his most sensitive parts moved to his penis, taking it in a firm hold, guiding it into a warm and moist mouth, and as he felt a tongue caress the most sensitive parts he saw flashes before his eyes, ardour exploding inside him. Trying to concentrate on Melissa, keeping her in a state of constant bliss, helped to keep his own excitement down enough to really enjoy the feeling, usually it excited him so much he had to break off to last a little longer.

But of course this was the master of love at work again, and he knew exactly how to make a man last as long as he wanted him to. In fact, he was so good at it that Paul was still gasping for breath when Melissa laughed at him and told him she'd had enough, there was nothing left in her. Then she watched Lukas at his best, any time her beloved husband approached a climax, he shifted his attentions to another intensely sensitive part of Paul's body, his testicles, the place right behind them, another very sensitive place that no other person but Paul himself had ever touched before, he subjected himself to being stroked and licked everywhere the master wanted to, and when at long last Lukas allowed him to finally come to a blinding climax, he was totally speechless and filled up to the brim with pure love. Literally. He had never contained so much magical energy before in his life, but then, he'd never been loved by a god either.

Feeling totally drained of lust himself, he could see that Lukas had worked up quite a bit of ardour again, and though Melissa had been sated with one kind of loving, he knew that once her heat was up, it wasn't as easily drained as that, so he assured the two of them: 'I'm good, indulge yourself, the master of love has proven his point, he is the best, but that doesn't mean the rest of us are inadequate. I'd like to see you in action once more, filled with your love, Lukas.'

And of course that was enough consent for Lukas, who was dying to try out his new muscles once more. He invited Melissa into his arms, then draped her legs over his shoulders, as he had done before when other ways of stimulating her had been exhausted. Then he slowly, tantalizingly entered her, seeing her eyes widen as she felt him approach that one place inside her that he had touched just once before.

When he had reached it, he thrust slowly and deeply a few times, already sending flashes of pure bliss through her, and then he started to speed up, more and more, until he had reached his former max, leaving Melissa gasping with pleasure until she climaxed with a little cry. And before that cry had died down, he went all out, lower body blurring again to Paul's mortal eyes, Lukas' face still cute as he laughed merrily, enjoying himself hugely with his newly found physical enhancement.

Then the laughing stopped, and Lukas became intense, as his own ardour reached that point in which it took over his being, driving him to go on and on until he climaxed in a series of spasms, and collapsed right on top of Melissa, who received him with indulgence and intense love.

She wanted Paul in her arms too, and he joined her with eagerness, feeling her warm, luscious body against him, and Lukas' hot, heaving shape on top of him, totally spent of course, too breathless to laugh but smiling his delicious broad smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

'Your new status has been well and truly initiated, master Lykos,' a voice sounded from across the room. Totally without shame, Lukas sprang up, naked, still breathing heavily, ran to the owner of the voice and jumped him, crying: 'Ophius!'

Not totally without shame, but too sated and lazy to care, Paul and Melissa looked up to see Lukas in the arms of a middle aged man, with rough curls and beautifully curved horns, who was wearing a shirt and not much else. They were hugging, and the large man had tears in his eyes.

He said something to Lukas in a very emotional voice, and Lukas replied: 'Yes, I'm fine. No, father is right, we don't know who did it, but it all turned out for the best. I'll tell you all later. So you noticed? It just happened, the moment I set foot on the ground here. Let me introduce you to my saviours and best friends.'

The other man laughed heartily and said something cheeky, Melissa was sure, and Lukas' answer proved that: 'Yes, and lovers, Ophius. But not just any lovers.' He beckoned them urgently, but Melissa was too much a Victorian to greet a total stranger who had caught her having sex with two men, without at least one layer of clothing between them.

So she picked up her dress and put it on, tied the sash, and then went towards the two men. Paul donned his trousers and did the same.

Lukas said something in his beautiful Greek, and when she heard: 'This is Melissa Kenwick, a beautiful lady from a totally different world, who saved my life,' she curtsied and said a simple greeting in her best Greek, which was still awful.

And of course Paul did speak Greek, so when Lukas said: 'And this is Paul Kenwick, Melissa's

husband, who taught me to craft metal and not a little about magic, when my Gift first awoke,' she heard him reply: 'Pleased to meet you, Ophius.'

Lukas now added: 'This is Ophius, who has been the keeper of my father's villa for as long as I can remember.'

Hearing Melissa's atrocious Greek, Paul realized she would understand what Lukas and himself said, but not a sentence anyone else spoke, and he regretted that he didn't know the spell that enabled a person to understand a foreign language, the one Hermes had used to talk English.

Of course they could ask Hermes to put that simple spell on her, it would make things a lot easier for Melissa if she could communicate freely with the people around her. But could they trust Hermes to put just the one spell on the woman he had desired, wouldn't he use the opportunity to add another one, to seduce her to his own ends?

Actually, that would have to be her own choice. Hermes could probably put any spell he wanted on any of them at any time, he was a powerful god on this world and they had only come here because they had information that he could be trusted. So Melissa would probably decide to trust him and let him put the spell on her, what else could she do, they were at his mercy anyway.

Paul put on his shirt and his boots as well as his trousers, and shouldered his backpack, as Ophius said: 'Your father is out for the day, Lykos, but he will be back tonight. He was going to fetch you tomorrow, but apparently time moves more quickly where you live.

If you will all follow me, I will show you to your rooms, and then master Lykos can show you the house. After that, I will serve your lunch on the terrace.'

And to Paul he said: 'Young master, no need to carry your luggage yourselves, if you tell me which pack belongs to whom, I'll take care it is brought to your room.'

So Paul put the pack down again, translated what Ophius had said literally to Melissa and took her hand, then followed Ophius out of the cellar, Lukas chatting with his old friend, and Melissa putting an arm around Paul and looking up at him in wonder. She stroked his face tenderly and said: 'He is right, you do look young again. And stunningly handsome. I love you so much, Paul, you do know that, don't you?'

She looked so heartbreakingly sweet and beautiful, her hair worn loose, the little horses running around and around her white throat, where they had been ever since she accepted them as his gift, the simple loose gown setting off her generous figure even better than the most intricate of her Victorian dresses. He guessed most Greek women would be small and dark and slim, with huge dark eyes, but he was sure none of them would be able to match his tall, luscious white skinned lady with her wealth of copper hair and her intelligent grey eyes.

He stopped for a moment to kiss her with all the intensity of his love for her, and when they couldn't see Lukas or Ophius anymore, they broke off the kiss and ran after them, still holding hands, giggling like children.

The villa was beautiful, though smaller than Melissa had expected from a god's home. After they had been shown their chambers, a nice sized room with a white-washed wooden floor and a large double bed for Paul and herself, and a similar room with a slightly smaller bed for Lukas, Lukas showed them the house.

There were several more chambers like theirs all lined up beside one another. Three walls of each chamber were blind, the back one undoubtedly hewn out of the natural rock of the cliff this villa was built on, the others built out of smooth limestone blocks with little fossils embedded in some of them. Of course in Melissa, the engineer awoke: 'How do your people get these limestone blocks so smooth, Lukas, do you know?'

Turning to face her, Lukas answered: 'I guess they did it with magic, nearly everyone here has some magic, the craftspeople too. Though I think they cannot just take the power like you do, whatever they don't generate by themselves, they have to ask their god for.'

That sounded weird to Melissa, but they would undoubtedly discuss that further later, since they intended to study magic here.

The fourth wall of each chamber had a door and a window looking towards a long gallery that ran the entire length of the villa. And the gallery itself had a magnificent view over the terrace, which ended where the cliff dropped off, and beyond that what must be the Mediterranean sea, as far as the eye could see, and as blue as the London sky on a cloudless day. It was stunningly beautiful.

But it was also the exact villa and terrace that Melissa remembered from her lively dreams.

It took her a few minutes to recover from that realization, until her logical mind had deduced that those elves could have picked Hermes' mind for the memory of this place as easily as they had rifled through everyone else's private thoughts.

Then she managed to give her attention to the house again, as they walked the gallery to its one end, a dead end with another view of the bluest of seas. Then they changed direction and found that this side of the gallery led back to the main part of the villa. There was a door ending up in a hall, and in that hall were several doors, one of which went down to the cellar where they had come from.

And one to a separate privy and communal bathing chamber, with a large pool, standing empty, and several smaller tubs, also empty. The design was beautiful, mosaic everywhere, even the tubs were tiled depressions rather than metal affairs. There was no boiler in sight, but of course it might be hidden. Lukas answered their unspoken thoughts: 'It all works with magic. I'll show you after lunch, or maybe tomorrow.'

Back in the hall, there was yet another door, which led into the kitchen, but that was the domain of Ophius, for he took his job seriously and told them their every wish was his command. The dishes he was preparing looked heavenly.

Retiring to the terrace they sat in the comfortable chairs, enjoying the view over the sea, as Lukas explained that this was not Hermes' main home, but merely the place where he had kept his one wife, Lukas' mother, and where Lukas had grown up, always in the company of his mother, and regularly in that of his father, who had lived with them a lot of his time, often out to do his duty to the gods, but coming home to his favourite wife almost every night.

After she had died unexpectedly when Lukas was twenty, Hermes had instantly stopped coming, had dropped all contact with his son, who had lived there for one more year, alone with the staff, totally dependent on them at first because the mosaic was the only easy entrance and it needed a Gift to operate, however slight.

Telling his friends about the time just after his mother's decease, Lukas remembered his grief at having lost not only his mother, but also his father, who had been very much a part of his life until then.

He told them: 'Of course the staff, especially Ophius, did their very best to help me cope, they took me where I wanted to go, but I resented my dependence upon them.

I had always shared my love freely, but now I became positively promiscuous, making love to someone else every night, taking them home with me if they had the Gift to activate the spell, staying with them if they hadn't.

After a month or so I decided to become less dependent, so I started to explore the surroundings of the villa. It was quite dangerous, you can see the drop if you stand on the edge of the terrace, but I didn't care. Maybe I hoped to fall down one day. Anyway, I soon found a route down the cliff that I could use to get to a path, and from there of course I could roam the coastal area easily on hoof, I was already very quick on my feet.

My territory expanded, and I loved every woman and a lot of men who were willing to give me a night's release from my loneliness, staying away from home for weeks at a time, seeking love and often finding it for a few days, or weeks, until I wandered away again.

Then about a year after my mother had passed away, one of my father's other wives heard of my plight and invited me to live with her. My father never spent much time with her, not even to give her a child of her own, and still she loved him and was faithful to him, preferring to spend her time alone rather than be untrue to her own feelings.

I visited to meet her, and we liked one another instantly, so I moved in with Ophelie and we talked a lot, about my mother, and my father, and loads of other things. She was very faithful to my father, so I never even thought of loving her, instead I went out regularly to seek lovers, and found plenty. But I never took them home with me anymore, and I never stayed over more than one night, usually I left in time to spend the night at home, so I could have breakfast with Ophelie and talk familiarly with her before finding another lover.

But after half a year I found myself thinking of her more and more, losing sleep over her, neglecting other lovers, feeling my loneliness even when spending time with the object of my love. And we had one glorious night together, in a moment of weakness, when Hermes had forgotten her birthday and had left her waiting all day, and broken-hearted at night.

I comforted her and was comforted myself, I thought I had finally found the love of my life, even though she was ten years my senior and married to my father.

But the next morning she felt no love for me, only regret at what had happened, and when Hermes visited that very day with a lovely present and a very good excuse why he had not been able to come the day before, her regret deepened and though she never blamed me, she never touched me again either, not even in normal social interaction.

I was devastated and became more promiscuous than ever, staying away for days and even weeks again, becoming ever more fey in my conquests, never without consent of my lover, but often against the will of family and friends, narrowly escaping attempts on my life and challenges from fathers and brothers.

Ophelie was still always there for me, and when she turned out to be expectant I behaved myself for a while, no longer tempting fate with forbidden love. But the loneliness was always there, and I still sought to fill it up with lover after lover, never succeeding.

Until Katarina was born and we became parents of a sort, for Hermes never gave up any time to her, and still only rarely to her mother. I was very happy with our little family for years, sharing my love with willing ladies whenever I felt like loving, raising Katarina with her mother, being her partner in every respect but the physical, until my father needed someone to place in Dionysus' court and he thought of me.

I could no longer live with Ophelie or Katarina, and though Dionysus did all he could to make me feel at home, turned out a good master and even a good friend, I missed my family, spending my nights sharing love, over and over again, until I went to my father's main house on Dionysus' business one day, went to sleep in a guest chamber, and woke up in the world where the portal is. The rest, you know.'

Lukas' elation was a bit dampened by the memories that the villa had stirred in him, but somehow they weren't as strong as they used to be, not as painful anymore. Being finally happy in love he no longer felt lonely, and the newly gained detachment also worked on his older memories.

Still, Melissa was affected by his tale, and she observed: 'You're not sleeping in your own room, are you? I don't know why you have your own bed, but I don't want you all alone in there with these memories.' Lukas replied: 'I guess my father meant well, but if Paul agrees I'd much rather stay with you.'

Looking at his bossy friend for his reaction, he noticed that Paul looked different somehow, even more ravishing, wait a minute, younger, much younger actually.

'What is it, Lukas?' Paul asked, 'you look as if you've seen a miracle. Are you so surprised I'd rather have you with us than alone in a lonely bed?'

'No Paul,' Lukas replied, still amazed, 'you didn't even answer my question yet, well, actually you did just now, and thank you so much for that, but I looked at you in surprise because you look twenty again, awake and all. You're so gorgeous I could eat you.'

Melissa nodded and observed: 'You are, and you do. Gorgeous enough to eat, and look twenty years old.'

'All right, enough is enough,' Paul said, suddenly bashful, 'are you two trying to make me blush? I want to see for myself, you're just fooling me around.' Lukas ran inside and fetched a mirror, and held it up for Paul to see himself.

Paul had always been of two minds about his looks. On the one hand, he rather liked the effect of seeming older than his age, it gave him an air of authority, and since he liked to have his way and be taken seriously, it served him well.

But on the other hand, he knew he was handsome, and he liked being handsome, and whilst looking nearly thirty didn't make him look old yet, there was bound to come a time that looking ten years older would. And besides, since he had found the love of his life, he wanted to be as good-looking as he could to keep Melissa interested in him.

He had gotten used to his face as it showed up in the mirror, and he knew she had fallen in love with him as he looked when they met, but when she had told him he looked much younger asleep it he became afraid she would rather have him look his real age all the time.

So when Lukas arrived with the mirror, he looked at his own reflection expectantly, and he was not disappointed. His features were the same, the same finely chiselled, noble features his father showed, Paul knew exactly what he would look like when he was fifty, but the lines in his face were much smoother, all the worries and doubts he carried with him were removed. He saw a young man looking out of the mirror at him, very young, almost a boy still.

He was stunned. 'I do look younger, almost too young, I'm not a boy anymore, am I?'

'No, you are a beautiful, caring, immensely strong husband,' Melissa said, 'you only look like a boy about to run to his mother.' That last was said very cheekily, and she planted a kiss on his smooth forehead.

'But,' Paul asked out loud, 'if my sense of responsibility made me look older, does that mean that I will do irresponsible things now?'

Lukas nodded fervently, and Melissa said: 'You most definitely will, yes, very irresponsible. This is our holiday after all.'

'And remember,' Lukas added, 'this is a totally different world to yours. Our customs will almost certainly tempt you to do things that will seem very irresponsible to you.' And when they found out exactly how irresponsible, Lukas would be there for them to set things right again, for they had made his loneliness a thing of the past, and he loved both of them to distraction.

At that moment, Ophius came in with their lunch, and it was very clear that he was happy to see Lukas again, for it was opulent. Bread, cheeses, nuts, olives, salads, everything looked fresh and healthy and delicious.

Despite living in an English city, Paul was used to eating light meals like this, and Melissa had adapted to his taste with pleasure, finding it easier to enjoy meals and still keep her weight acceptable if everything she ate was not laden with meat, cream and sugar, as it was in traditional English food. They both tried everything with relish.

But Lukas, he was just a joy to behold, he had missed this food so much, the quality of the cheese and the olives, it just couldn't be matched. He ate very slowly, to make it last as long as he could, in ecstasy over every morsel he tasted, and he always ate a lot despite his slight frame, so his intense pleasure lasted quite some time.

Ophius sat down next to him, watching Lukas eat with as much relish as they had been eating Ophius' cooking. He clearly loved Lukas very much, it showed in his whole demeanour, and Lukas thrived on it. Observing this, Melissa lost her fear of Lukas growing up past his innocence and his rakishness, Lukas had just been elevated from self-appointed loser to god, and he still felt even the smallest expressions of love intensely. The guileless man she had come to love so much, even though he had complicated her relationship with her true love often, was still the same innocent creature he had ever been.

She had never had real, fresh olives, and she had to really get used to their unusual taste, but at that very moment, the taste of olives to her became forever linked to a solid conviction that Lukas would be a force for good no matter what happened.

After watching Lukas eat for some time, Ophius said: 'Your father will get a mighty surprise when he returns home tonight. He told me you had developed a strong Gift, but I don't think he expected this.' Lukas asked, between two bites: 'Do you thing he will mind very much?'

The older man shook his head with the heavy horns, and replied: 'I don't think so, he has always had a special place for you in his heart, though for a long time he couldn't find it in him to show you his love. Your mother's passing hit him very hard, she was his favourite, and you reminded him of her very much.

Besides, he needs your powers, he is in tremendous trouble, with your sister's cult, but also with his own father and siblings. They want him to put the revolt down with force, set an example. Your sister is in grave danger, and all her followers with her.

Your father wants to save her, he has neglected her too, he has no influence over her, and neither has her mother. I would have loved to keep you here a little longer, but if you want to prevent a tragedy from happening, you will need to act fast.'

Lukas nodded and asked straightforwardly: 'What about those rumours that were spread about me, will they undermine my position?'

A short bark of a laugh was followed by a blunt remark: 'You have been away for too long, Lykos, or maybe you never knew because you didn't have any magic. But where do you think all that power within you comes from?' Lukas did not understand of course, he had never had any interest in power before.

Spotting this, Ophius said: 'Let me explain. Have you ever noticed how everyone you have ever been in contact with loves you?'

At Lukas' incredulous look, Ophius added: 'Well, maybe excepting half a dozen fathers and brothers, but yes, everyone who associates with you, loves you. People remember you fondly, whenever they hear your name they think of you with love. All that love translates into power, Lykos, you're a god now, people who think of you with love are your worshippers.'

Lukas' mouth fell open.

'Someone spreading a nasty rumour has no influence on your reputation, Lykos, no-one will believe it. But every time they hear of it, talk about it, deny it, they think of you with love, and the power of their feeling is yours. You are a force to be reckoned with, Lykos, you have worshippers everywhere, even in the courts of your father and Dionysus. You may be a new god, but you are not the least of them, thanks to whoever made up and spread that foolish rumour.'

Ophius was not keeping their conversation to themselves, so Paul and Melissa could hear every word of it. Of course Melissa only understood half, and since she missed a lot of explanations,she didn't get the meaning of what she heard at all. As soon as he had his composure back, Lukas summarized what Ophius had told him, and this silenced all of them for some time.

Then Paul broke the silence by asking: 'How does magic work here, then? Do you have ley-lines, nodes?'

Ophius' face was a study in incomprehension: 'What's a node?'

Paul explained, and Ophius shook his head, and replied: 'We don't have those, all that power you talk of is taken up by a god, large or small, and all the love of their worshippers too. Then when someone wants to practice magic, they use their own magic power, or they ask their god, and are granted the power, or not. If they are a favourite, they may get a permanent link to their god, getting all the power they need.

Master Hermes told me he nearly died on your world because he had no worshippers there. Gods never wonder where their power comes from, they have plenty.

But you know now, Lykos, so keep treating everyone well and you will always have plenty of power. You have my love.' This last was said almost shyly, and Lukas melted on the spot, sitting on Ophius' lap and hugging him lovingly.

Paul had translated Ophius' Greek as he spoke it, and Melissa narrowed her eyes and tried her sight. So much had changed! Paul was full of blue power, but he also had a lot of pink power now, weirdly enough since he was clearly very human.

Lukas had the blue he'd always had, and loads and loads of that clean red power. He was also gathering the green power, quite a lot of it actually, diffusing right into his body, as she had witnessed in Hermes. He was well and truly a god here, including a right load of worshippers.

As soon as she had a grip on what she had seen, she asked Paul to translate for her, and asked Ophius through him: 'Do you know why Paul has the power love gives, when he didn't have that on our world, and why Lukas doesn't have that anymore, when he had loads of it on our world?' She noticed Paul said Lykos instead of Lukas.

Ophius stared at her, and rattled off a lot of Greek, and Lukas answered proudly: 'She can see right through virtually anything.'

Then Paul said: 'He wondered how you can see that, and he says what you probably see is the power a god gives to the worshippers he loves. The gods harvest all the power, and re-distribute it to their followers. Lukas made love to both of us, and that would bestow a lot of his power onto us.

Do you realize what that means, you two?'

Lukas and Melissa both stared at his stricken expression. 'It means that we have only a fraction of the power available that we're used to, Melissa. Everything else we'll have to beg Lukas for. Our roles are reversed in this world!'

Lukas was stunned, and not pleased, and he quickly said: 'I'll give both of you a direct line, Paul, you'll have all the power you need.'

But Paul had calmed down a lot already, and said: 'Actually, Lukas, this may be a good thing, remember I wanted to become more subtle? Having a limited supply of power is the best way to learn subtlety. Let me start out with my personal stash, and if I need more I'll pray for it.'

This last statement had Lukas all shy again, and he moved from Ophius' lap to Paul's, clinging to his neck and nuzzling his bare skin, having his horns scratched just a tiny bit by his strong friend. He surrendered to the caress, until Paul said: 'But how will you know I really love you from now on? Maybe I just want a bit more power.'

Lukas sat up instantly, then laughed hopelessly and leaned back against Paul: 'I just know you worship me, Paul, I just know.'

And then Ophius spoke in Greek again, and Paul asked Melissa, not stopping his caressing of Lukas' horns: 'Ophius wants to know if you can see the power in him.'

And Ophius asked Lukas something too, to which Lukas said: 'I broke them off, no-one has horns in my new world, so I had to, to be able to go outside.'

Melissa now looked at Ophius with sight, she hadn't before because he hadn't given her permission, and it seemed an invasion of his privacy, but now he wanted her to and she was curious. She was stunned to see him provided with an incredible amount of blue power, easily the equal of Paul's. And he seemed to have a link to other power, not filling him, but available at any time. Hermes' work? Why would a powerful mage like that be a house-servant?

She relayed this information to Paul, who translated it to Ophius, and the answer right back to herself: 'He is amazed that you have seen this. He was asked decades ago by Hermes to protect his favourite wife and her child, and did so for years, until Lukas moved out. Then up until a week ago he was living at Hermes' court as his prime mage, but at his own request he translocated himself here to receive Lykos, should he drop in unexpectedly, after Hermes had confided in him about his dramatic expedition to retrieve his son.

He has indeed so much trust from his god, that he can tap into that one's resources without limit and without asking first.

When Hermes was gone he had a rough three weeks, having to keep everything going, making up excuses to the other gods and to supplicants, doubting whether his master would ever return, with or without the son he'd searched for so ardently.'

After lunch Lukas wanted to swim in the sea, and it was so hot that the idea appealed to both his companions. But the path Lukas had once made was overgrown, and the way down was incredibly steep and dangerous, totally unsafe for either of them to try and climb down.

'Give me half an hour,' Lukas said, I'll make us a path down that is safe and still not too obvious. Paul offered to help him, and Melissa found a place in the shade where she could watch them, for to be honest she was starting to feel the heat a lot, and especially on her sensitive white skin. Their cycling expeditions had given her as much colour as a red-headed person could get, but that had been in England, this was Greece, and the difference was painfully obvious by now.

Ophius, clearing away the remnants of their fabulous lunch, was clearly very observant, for he noticed her discomfort, and immediately spotted the cause, stroking her reddened skin in sympathy, careful not to hurt her further.

Apparently ancient Greeks were really hands-on, for he didn't have the slightest qualm in touching her, of course he wasn't a real servant but a high-ranking official in Hermes' entourage, but still.

Ophius called out to Lukas, who came running. 'Your skin has burned, love, that must be very painful,' he kneeled before her with his legs in that impossible angle, and kissed her carefully and tenderly, 'I'm sorry I didn't think of it, let me help.'

She saw his eyes focus inward for a moment, he lit up a tiny bit, and the pain was smoothed over by a cooling feeling, reddened skin white once more. He did that so easily, so naturally, she ran her hands through his curls and kissed him.

'You need to stay out of the sun, Melissa, your skin is too delicate, it doesn't brown but burns instantly. I'll warn Paul as well, he's not as light as you but a lot lighter than any of us. And I'll think of a screen in the skin, maybe we can make one together, tonight.

But first a path, I want to swim and I want a run. Be careful now.' And he kissed her once more and was back to the cliff.

Ophius came back from taking away the last trays, and he had a large white sheet and a large knife in his hands. He put down the knife and fastened a ring on one end of the sheet to a hook in the wall, then fastened the other side. The opposite ends had ropes trailing, and he tied those to trees growing from the cliff face. He placed a chair underneath this canopy, and invited Melissa to sit in the shaded area.

She sat down and thanked him in her atrocious Greek, and he bowed in acknowledgement. Her skin felt much better, and she was thrilled to have experienced Lukas' healing power for herself.

Ophius now picked up the knife, to give to Lukas she supposed, to help clear the vegetation.

As Lukas was looking for the remnants of his old path, clearing away rough bushes here and there, with no apparent fear of the hundred foot drop beneath him, Paul wondered if he would ever dare to navigate that path. Looking up at him, Lukas said: 'Don't worry Paul, I could fly us down if I wanted to, there will be no danger at all.'

Of course, magic. He was so unused to relying on magic, that he had not even thought about using it to stay safe on a steep path. He could do that himself, no problem even without node-magic, it just didn't occur to him to use magic in an every day situation, he was used to solving problems in a worldly manner.

This would be such good practice, and the tiny sandy beach and the blue water below him started to look even more attractive. Especially since he was starting to feel the sun burning his skin very uncomfortably, the sun was pretty strong here, much hotter than in England. Melissa must be feeling it even worse, her skin was so white and delicate.

Just then, Ophius' voice called out for Lykos, and Lukas ran up straight away. Paul followed him up to see what was going on, and he was just in time to witness Lukas kneeling before Melissa and lighting up. She was in pain, and he was healing her.

They kissed and Lukas came right back, rounding a corner towards him, and asking Paul: 'Are you in pain too? The sun is too hot here for Melissa, and maybe for you too? We must find a way to protect your English skin.

Lukas' hands were cool on his burning skin, and his scent was as musky and enticing as always. Feeling Paul's heated skin, Lukas said: 'Please stay still for a moment, I'll heal it for you. But be careful of the sun from now on, or it will burn you again.' And with that his friend lighted up slightly and his skin cooled, taking the burn and the slight redness with it.

It felt good, and Paul wanted to kiss Lukas too, to feel his soft mottled skin and his warm mouth, and lose himself in that musky scent. Of course Lukas was always eager for a little love, and they embraced tightly, standing on that rocky ledge, kissing greedily, Lukas a bit overwhelmed by Paul's sudden forwardness but eager to accept it.

After the kiss, Ophius offered Lukas a large knife to help with the pruning, and Paul and Lukas both went back to work, clearing a path down, Paul trying to stay in the shade as much as possible.

It took an hour to clear a path down, and it was frighteningly steep, but Paul explained to Melissa how she could magically lower her weight to make it safer to descend, and anyway, Lukas would be watching her progress, ready to intervene. He could have lowered the whole villa down that cliff, so Melissa felt totally safe to try on her own first.

She managed the path all by herself, it wasn't as bad as it looked, and felt very satisfied when she got to the little beach. Lukas brought towels for all of them, and he spread them in the sand in the shadow of a tree, clinging to the cliff with a gnarled root system.

They left their clothes in the sand and navigated carefully over the rocks, Lukas warning the others to keep a sharp eye out for the black spiked sea urchins, a sea creature that could cause severe pain if stepped on.

Soon they were enveloped by cool water, Lukas a strong swimmer, Paul reasonably adept, but Melissa without a clue: as a working class girl she had never learned to swim. The guys took turns teaching her the technique, and with her large body she had a natural buoyancy, which helped a great deal. After half an hour of trying she managed to stay afloat, and even move in the direction she wanted.

Lukas wanted to really make an effort, feeling the need to make up for missing his morning run, there being little space to run with the villa lodged on a cliff face. He knew a path he used to run on, but it might be overgrown as well as the path down the cliff. So he set off at top speed, which was incredible, disappearing out of sight in an instant.

Paul and Melissa stayed behind, and Paul experienced that heightened feeling of excitement again, smelling Melissa's feminine scent, seeing her beautiful body totally naked, enveloped by the crystal clear water of the mediterranean sea. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately, and his excitement rose until he could no longer control it and he wanted to take her there and then. A bit ashamed of his lack of control, he nonetheless rubbed his erection against her, he just couldn't help it, the feeling was so strong.

Of course Melissa didn't mind one bit, she loved seeing Paul so uninhibited, feeling intense passion and showing it, if not exactly shamelessly, at least clearly. She encouraged him to indulge himself, the idea of making love in the water excited her too, and she kissed him once again, nuzzled his hot skin, his scent so enticing with the tang of the sea-salt added, she whispered: 'Let it go, Paul, just do what you want, I'm eager for you.'

And he did let go, still kissing, he did what his body ached for, thrusting himself in her, fighting the density of the water, her legs wrapped around him as well as her arms. His passion was so strong, he totally forgot everything around him except his beautiful woman and his overpowering lust, wearing himself out against the pressure of the water, straining his muscles as never before. Before he knew it his bliss reached a high, and he collapsed in her arms, totally worn.

What had happened, he had never done this before, indulge in his own lust without considering Melissa first. She looked at him, kissed him lovingly and said: 'Don't look like that love, you did nothing wrong, I love seeing you in the throes of passion. You are beautiful when you're out of control, your hair dripping, I love you so much. Let's go for another swim, I need to practice.'

And they did swim, lazily, in that beautiful clear blue sea, looking out on the jagged grey cliff with the trees and bushes struggling to keep a hold on it, and the white-walled villa tucked snugly into its rocky face. It was almost alien compared to the city they were used to, but at the same time it was very beautiful, and they felt privileged to be here.

Suddenly a dripping wet, laughing face appeared in front of them, Lukas was in a superb mood, having strained himself to the limit, making his muscles scream with fatigue, and now he felt like an afternoon nap in the shade of the terrace.

'In hot countries is is customary to sleep away the hottest part of the day, then stay up late,' he told his friends, 'do you think you can manage a nap?'

They went back up the cliff and sat in the shady part of the terrace in the comfortable chairs. Melissa was soon asleep, but Paul was restless, and Lukas suspected he missed his crafting already, he felt a certain need to be doing something himself, and to Paul it was an even more integral part of his being.

'Do you miss the metal, Paul?' he asked, and Paul nodded and said: 'I feel useless, not doing anything, I'm so used to working, I love my work. And I feel so heated, excited all the time, I've always had complete control of my urges, but they are running away with me.

Melissa told me to let go, and I did, but my lust got so out of control she didn't get anything out of it, it was over in a second. I feel ashamed of my lack of control.'

So that was it, it had already started in Paul, time for Lukas to start earning his reputation as the master of love. He observed: 'I expected this to happen Paul, you have been under tremendous obligations all your life, and now you're free for the first time ever. You are twenty-one years old, finally experiencing the drive of someone your age. It it completely normal to let go of control over your lust once in a while, Melissa didn't mind, did she?'

'She said she loved to see me wild and out of control, and I think she meant it,' Paul replied.

'I like to see you unrestrained as well, Paul, and feel your hands on me in heat. I can only encourage you to accept this side of you, embrace it, let it out. Somehow I know it will become stronger yet, it is a part of you you need to discover, people here will expect you to indulge in your passions, not restrain them. It's also the climate, somehow the heat seems to increase the need for making love.'

That was not something Paul wanted to hear: 'It will get worse? I feel in constant heat already!'

'And you are expected to share it. I will try to protect both of you as much as I can, but with my reputation I will be expected to share more than anyone. With your Victorian morals it is very important that you keep talking, or you could drift apart really quickly. Don't hesitate to come to me for help, Paul, I got you into this, I feel responsible for getting you out in one piece, physically, but also as a married couple madly in love.'

That didn't calm Paul down the slightest bit, and he laid back on his chair trying to sleep, but failing miserably. He didn't want to share his love with anyone, nor this unnatural heat.

Lukas was very aware of his friend's feelings, and decided to distract him with some action: 'Shall I show you the heating system of the house? It works with magic.'

Paul's feelings cleared instantly and he said: 'Yes, please, you know I use magic on our own boiler, and I'd like to learn more uses.'

When Melissa awoke from a nice afternoon nap totally refreshed, the worst of the heat seemed to have passed, and Paul and Lukas were asleep on their own chairs on the terrace. She quietly went into the house to visit the privy, taking some time to admire the mosaic in the bathing room next door.

The tubs had an ornamental border in many colours, and on the bottoms were depictions of bathing scenes, very life-like, with enough action to make her blush. She was struck by the similarity of these images and those in Paul's bathroom, it must be total coincidence, which made it all the more remarkable.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As she went back to the terrace, lost in her thoughts, she ran headlong into Hermes, who was just emerging from the cellar-door. She jumped in startlement, and when she saw whom she had ran in to she excused herself for her thoughtless behaviour

Hermes was merely surprised and unspeakably happy to have her in his villa, and he took her in his arms to greet her properly. This was his world after all, and here friends greeted one another with love, not formality. Used to Lukas' need for love in every shape and form, and totally over her infatuation, Melissa answered his greeting with fondness.

At his own return to his world, Hermes had found himself totally restored to all his power, his strength, speed and godhood. But he had not been cured of his love for this mortal girl, with her extraordinary looks, so different from the women in his own country, even the goddesses and the nymphs who had always been ready to give him their love. And now she was in his arms, and not in one of those restricting Victorian dresses, but in a light flowing gown that hardly covered her luscious figure at all.

The wealth of her body, her light colouring combined with the richness of her hair, the copper horses of her husband's making still running their endless rounds around her delicious white throat, Hermes wanted nothing more than be allowed to touch her with love, to make her quiver with bliss under his skillful hands.

But she had denied her attraction to him, lust she called it, to stay true to her intense and talented mortal husband, and to his own son. He could not but respect her choice, his hubris and resulting fall had taught him a lot in just a few weeks. Being helpless and at the mercy of mortals had shown him they had a strength of their own.

He could bend their wills, he could have this girl at his feet in a minute, begging him for his love, giving her all, but it would not be real, and he knew that now.

And he could not betray his son, who had risked his own life to save his father's, after years of neglect and then years of servitude, pulled away from his little family by the needs of his father, for Hermes was not blind, he had seen the love that bound Lykos to Ophelie and Katarina. He also knew his wife never touched her stepson, even though Lykos had loved her to distraction.

He had not treated his son well, bending him to his will repeatedly, then ignoring his sudden disappearance until he had personal need of him. The threats he had made him, the anger he had felt at the boy's righteous refusal to jump to heel once more, to leave a loving home for duty under duress once more.

If a god could feel shame, Hermes did so very much, and though every nerve in his body ached for this beautiful, smart and talented girl, he would not touch her other than as a friend, and no-one would know of his secret passion, besides maybe Ophius, who knew Hermes better than anyone, and whom he had not been able to fool at any time. But Ophius knew all his secrets, and was certain to keep them.

Truly glad to see her father-in-law in such excellent health and humour, and used to showing her love to someone with the same needs as him, Melissa didn't protest being held a touch longer than she thought appropriate, and even returned his affection freely. This was a different world, with different customs, and she had to adapt.

Of course Hermes could feel her accompanying emotions, familiarity and fondness, but no love and no longer even lust. He couldn't believe it, she had conquered her infatuation whilst his had grown. What did Lykos have that he didn't?

That question didn't even need thinking about, for he had felt the answer himself when he lay dying in the grass of an alien world: unconditional love.

And they both seemed extraordinarily fond of that artist, who was reasonably handsome in a rugged way, and a rather talented mage, but much too restrained and too ordinary to be a logical choice for such a stunning woman and his Gifted son.

'You look good, Hermes, you're clearly in excellent shape again, we're all very eager to hear about the situation in your realm.' She had taken his arm and walked towards the terrace, suddenly realizing she was making free with a god's time: 'I'm sorry, I'm just assuming you want to see Lukas straight away, but maybe you have other business elsewhere in the house?'

Hermes of course was charmed, but he was not going to let her notice that, so he said magnanimously: 'No my dear, I indeed want to see my boy straight away, I'm so happy he really did decide to come, I want to hug him too, and even your austere husband.

That made her laugh, but it also let him feel the extent of her love for the over-serious guy, and it was huge, and unconditional. Incredible. Well, he was not going to use his will on her, the shell of this woman would still be enticing, but it would be very empty indeed. If he couldn't have all her love, he'd take whatever she'd give him, and for that he needed to be the perfect friend.

As they neared the terrace, it was as if Melissa got a little nervous, just a tiny bit, as if there was something she was afraid he'd be displeased by. To Hermes, this was a sign she did not completely trust him yet, that was something he'd have to work hard on.

Of course she remembered him in his moment of shame, something no-one who had witnessed it would likely ever forget, but she must also remember him dying, and in agony, and he hoped that if he proved his consistency, she'd leave the memory of his anger in the past.

Lykos was still asleep in a chair, curls everywhere, he'd probably been swimming. Of all his sons, this one was most like him in his physical prowess, slight of build, but immensely fast and if rumour could be believed, an indefatigable lover. With true Victorian delicacy, George had consistently refused to tell Hermes any detail of his love-life with Lykos.

George. Leaving him behind with his wife and family still hurt, never in his centuries of life had Hermes felt safer and more at peace than totally helpless in George's arms. He still had to suppress the urge to leave everything behind and go back through that portal and be safe again, leading a quiet life, teaching a little, spreading a little love among the controlled citizens of Victorian England.

But his people needed him, and being all-powerful was also a good thing. And besides, he had never loved anyone past a few weeks, there would be others, preferably women. He might visit Ophelie again, she really loved him.

Kneeling beside Lykos, he gently stroked his rough curls, and his cute, narrow face, so like his mother's. Of course he was clearly a man, his jaws square, his cheeks stubbled, but that dented lip, the eyes, his mother's cheekbones and loving smile, her loving nature, Lykos certainly had inherited that.

The lack of horns still offended Hermes slightly, but he remembered the way Lykos had removed them, with shame for his own behaviour at the time, and with the greatest of pride for his son. He looked for the stumps in the wealth of curls, and found one, damaged end protected by a silver cap with astonishing decorations, much like the mosaic in his bathroom here, beautifully detailed scenes of people making love.

The artist's work, undoubtedly, and certainly on a par with the ever moving horses around Melissa's throat. Maybe he should take the opportunity to commission a few works whilst the fellow was here, his art might do very well to placate his sister, maybe his person would as well, she'd married a smith after all, and this one was much better looking. It would keep her mind off Hermes' people until Lykos could make Katarina see reason.

Beneath his caresses, the shape of his son started to become restless, waking up a little at a time, until he opened his eyes and exclaimed: 'Father, you're here! So good to see you!' He sat up and embraced his father tightly with genuine love.

Hermes could understand why everyone loved Lykos so much, he was so ingratiating and so sincere, one had to love him. There was something different about him, though.

In a mirror image of Melissa, Lykos now held him at arm's length, taking a good look and observing with great satisfaction: 'You look fine, you're totally restored, aren't you? Good.'

The same slight nervousness from Lykos, what were they afraid would displease him? He looked at Lykos intently, and then he didn't exactly see it as much as he felt it: his son had been transformed, had become a god himself.

No wonder they were nervous, it must have happened as he set foot on his native soil, his developing Gift coming to full bloom instantly. Did this please him, or did it not?

They knew he knew, but no-one said anything. The artist was awake too, instantly alert, helpless against Hermes of course, but on his guard nonetheless.

The silence gave Hermes a chance to decide his feelings. He checked his son's balance and found him possessed of a significant number of worshippers Where had he gotten those, he'd just set foot on the ground this morning? It must be the love again.

Looking at the cute face, the loyalty of his friends, his first and strongest feeling was pride, an immense pride that his son was set up by some enemy to fall into permanent disgrace, and had somehow turned the plot into an enormous victory for himself. And apparently, without losing any of his attachments, or his innocent goodness.

'Lykos, I can't believe my senses!' Hermes said, letting his pride and amazement show clearly, 'you've turned into a god! And clearly not the least of us either, you have a lot of worshippers! Please tell me how it happened.'

He pulled a chair over to sit next to him, and they talked about everything that had happened until Ophius told them that dinner was ready to be served.

Of course it soon became apparent that Melissa couldn't follow the conversation, and Hermes offered to put the language spell on her. He added: 'I can teach your man to put it on you, his knowledge of Greek seems quite adequate. But the spell works best if it's bound to a native speaker, and that he is not. But if you don't want my mark on you...'

'Paul, Hermes, his name is Paul,' Melissa said, and Hermes was secretly pleased she dared to correct him that familiarly. 'And I made a decision to trust you, or I wouldn't have set foot on your world, so if it pleases you I'd like you to put this spell on me. I'll speak Greek like a native.'

And since that pleased him, very much, he asked her to sit down in front of him, and he touched her lightly and called forth a little power. This was the ideal moment to sow a little seed of love for him in her, he would probably get away with it beneath the language spell.

A vision of the two of them together presented itself, but he reminded himself of empty husks, resisted the temptation and only modified the spell a tiny bit to make sure she would always be safe.

She would never know, unless she found herself in extreme danger, and then she'd probably thank him for it.

Spell complete, he tested it himself: 'How do you like Greece so far, Melissa?'

Her face lighted up, she'd understood, and replied: 'Very well, Hermes, your country is very beautiful and the food is astonishing, though I still have to get used to the heat.' It was so cute, the amazed look on her face as she heard Greek coming out of her mouth.

'Thank you so much,' she exclaimed, and she hugged him impulsively, causing his feelings to flare up, her shape against his, her face in his neck. He quickly composed himself, hoping no-one had noticed, saying: 'My pleasure, Melissa, I hope you will enjoy your stay, even though it is more a diplomatic mission than a holiday.'

As Hermes explained the situation in his realm, now in Greek, Ophius readied the table for dinner, then joined them. Together they decided it would be wisest to use translocation, what the cellar mosaic was for, to go to Ophelie's house, then travel on foot from there, towards the coast once more, a journey of a mere two days and very picturesque. Lukas knew his father's realm as well as anyone, having traversed most of it on foot for years.

During their talk, Melissa had joined Paul in his chair, sitting in his lap, neither contributing much to the discussion, the other three were so familiar with this country, but they suddenly realized they were total strangers here.

Paul seemed a little down anyway, Melissa feared the heat had gotten to him, and she wrapped her arms around him to be as close to him as she could, nuzzling his bare throat, tasting the salt of the Mediterranean on his skin. He smiled sweetly, holding her against him, enjoying her loving attentions a lot, and, fortunately, not feeling his heat rise. Maybe the temperature caused it, with the sun sunk behind the mountain the terrace was cooling off, he'd keep that in mind.

But what if he did let go a little, what was the worst that could happen? Lukas and Jakob had both told him he would put pressure on his marriage, not by letting go, but by holding on to his Victorian morals.

Melissa had never claimed him, and besides, she had Lukas, though he might start sharing love seriously here, women would be throwing themselves at him now he was a god. Somehow Paul didn't think Lukas would share as he had been used to, he seemed to have picked up a lot of Victorian customs, though his own story suggested that whenever he had a powerful love in his life, he never shared love much, not even when he had never heard of England yet.

Well, both Lukas and Jakob had urged him to keep talking to Melissa, suggesting that everything would be all right if he did so.

And since Jakob seemed to be the closest thing he knew to a priest, and Lukas knew both himself and Melissa best of all people, he was inclined to believe them. He decided there and then to do let go a little, but to discuss every single instant with his beloved first.

Mind made up, he felt relieved from negative feelings, and he kissed Melissa eagerly and started to listen to the conversation. But it was just concluded, everyone was ready for dinner, and to be honest, Paul was too.

During their meal, he found himself seated next to Hermes, who said: 'I saw your work on Lykos' horns just now, impressive. As impressive as the little horses, though a lot less obvious.'

Wondering a little how Hermes had gotten to see the silver caps, he acknowledged the compliment: 'Thank you very much, sir, it is nice to have one's work appreciated.'

'Please call me Hermes, and I'll promise to call you Paul from now on. There is no need to be formal anymore, is there? If you didn't trust me, you wouldn't be here. You are the last person to risk losing his freedom, I guess, having fought hard to obtain the freedom to practice your art.'

'I gained the freedom to be a craftsman, but as it turns out I wasn't free at all in other respects, being bound to a guardianship, and to the morals and values of my class.' Where did that suddenly come from? As soon as he had said it, Paul knew it was true, but he realized that only now.

'I'm guessing you will experience different morals here, and when your mission is over, you will be able to decide which ones work best for you and yours,' Hermes observed. 'And to me, you are not a craftsman, but an artist, with an artist's soul. I am very certain that before your visit comes to an end, you will start to miss your art, and I beg you to consider making a unique piece for me, as a present for my sister, to soften her heart towards me and my people.'

'Your sister, that would be Aphrodite?' Paul asked cautiously.

'Exactly, Aphrodite, my loving sister, who has threatened to level my realm and everyone in it if I don't punish my daughter Katarina for leading my people into independent thinking.'

'But she's married to a smith,' Paul objected.

'She is, and he's an artist too, but a winemaker wants to drink mead sometimes, and a baker's wife can like salad, don't you think?'

'Well, I don't have a forge, or any tools or materials, but I'm guessing you can easily provide them. My hands are aching to get to work, and I'm not even a day away from my workshop, so yes, please.' Just thinking of crafting made Paul yearn for the feel of metal, any metal, in his hands.

'Might I suggest that you start experimenting with the use of magic to be able to work your art with limited resources?'

For a very short moment Paul thought that Hermes must be the devil, using his need for his crafting to tempt him on to a sliding path. But of course in this world it was totally reasonable to use magic for anything he wanted, and his mind was already thinking of ways to heat metal and to shape moulds with magic.

'My power is limited because there is are no ley-lines and nodes here, but I was going to practice being more subtle in my magic,' Paul mused.

'If I commission a piece from you,' Hermes replied, 'it is my duty to provide all the things you need, including magic power. You wouldn't even have to pray for it.'

The thought of praying to Hermes was ludicrous to Paul, and it showed on his face. Hermes ignored it, the artist was from a world where the gods never showed themselves, he had always used his own abilities to provide himself with power.

He said: 'I was thinking of something like Melissa's little horses, something that moves, do you know of dolphins? My sister has an especial love for these beautiful creatures, and to have them jumping and playing around her throat would put her in a very mild mood.' And if he could find a way to get them to meet, Aphrodite would certainly want a piece of such a talented artist, providing all kinds of opportunities.

His newly found conscience object strenuously against this idea, and he soothed it with the unlikeliness that such a meeting would ever take place within the few months Lykos' visit would last.

Paul came to a decision: 'I will make this piece that you ask for, it is for a worthy goal and it will keep me focussed. If you provide the materials, gold, or silver? And maybe a likeness of a dolphin jumping, I've never seen one before.'

Suddenly the food tasted much better, and his excitement took a direction that suited him very well. He still meant to at least try to let go a bit more, but he knew how working metal relaxed him totally, and he inwardly thanked Hermes for providing him with a certain solution for a potential problem on this hot world.

Melissa and Paul decided to go to bed soon after dinner, the strangeness of the whole day catching up with them. Lukas said he would stay up a little longer, to catch up further with his father, and added in his thoughts, to allow them some time together.

The young couple left the door to their chamber open, to let in as much cool air as they could, but also to hear some noise from outside, they were used to living in a city, and total silence was not something they were used to.

Meanwhile, Hermes had opened another bottle of wine, preparing to reminisce on their past in this villa, but Lukas had something on his liver. His enhanced empathy had set off an alarm at his father's emotions twice this evening, revealing emotions carefully concealed on the outside, but potentially harmful to his beloved friends.

He could do nothing less than confront his father, for once they were on their way to Katarina it would be much more difficult to abort this mission and to return home. They each had a device in their backpack that George and Tristan assured them would take them to their own cellar in an instant, but Lukas really wanted to put things right with his daughter first.

He would not risk hurting his friends for Katarina, though, she had her own responsibility as well, and his was with Paul and Melissa first.

'Father, before my friends and I leave this villa, I want you to tell me the truth on two things that have come to my attention today.'

If Hermes was surprised to be so addressed by his son, he did not show any sign. It was rather as if he knew what was coming, and was preparing to submit to his son's interrogation.

His silence encouraged Lukas to point out an embarrassing fact: 'Father, the elven statues we had set to spy on you told us you were still very much in love with Melissa just before you entered the portal.

Before we did the same, we discussed this amongst ourselves, and we couldn't imagine it surviving your return to godhood, and the availability of girls and women who were interested in sharing your bed. It appears we were wrong, I caught you thinking of her with distinct tenderness today, and yet you showed not a sign outwardly.

I want you to tell me exactly what you are planning to do about this, for I'd rather return straight away and leave my sister to the mercy of your father and siblings, than help her and lose my beloved friend to your selfish interests.'

Well and truly caught out, Hermes bowed his head in, pain it seemed, and spoke: 'I betrayed my feelings in an unguarded moment, you are truly worthy of your title of master of love, my slip cannot have lasted more than a second.

But you are right, I still spend a lot of thoughts on your beautiful friend, I've never met anyone like her, she is so independent and loving. Such a free spirit.

And I plan to do nothing about it. There is nothing I can do. I can bend her to my will, but that would destroy her spirit, it would leave me with nothing but a body. Plus, it would be wrong.

I hoped to get a hug now and then, or a chat amongst friends, I hoped to become her friend and at least get the love a friend gets.

For I know you love her, and your artist friend needs her, and you need him.'

Lukas interrupted him here and said in an imperative tone: 'He is not my friend, her husband, the artist, he is Paul. You are dehumanizing him, father, and that frightens me. You always used mortals, bent their wills, broke their spirits, ignored their needs, and this mortal is someone I love more than you. More than myself. I will not risk Paul, and I will not risk Melissa, in any way, to save your arse. Do you understand that, father?

For the second thing I caught, was your intention to have him taken by your sister, for her own immortal uses. You at least know better now, you know that bending a mortal to your will will break his spirit, but your sister doesn't. She would make him her slave and use him until she was tired of him, then discard the sad remains. And she has a very jealous husband, who would not hesitate to swat him like a fly. The thought of that happening to Paul makes me sick with fear.

I will not allow you to hurt him.

I came to this world for you, risking my life, and my friends' lives and well-being. I do not want to stay here, not even as a god, there is nothing for me here. One more thought on using my loved ones for your own purposes, and we are gone from here, sealing the portal behind us forever. Is that clear?'

Lukas could see that his father was taking him very seriously. And more importantly, he felt the shame and the guilt he needed to feel from him, to prove he could be trusted.

'Can I still let him make the necklace for Aphrodite? He seemed to relish the challenge.'

'You can if you promise to keep his identity a secret from her until we have left your world.'

'You know I can't stop loving Melissa on command, I've tried to.' His father looked pitiable admitting this, and his feeling was hopeless.

'I know, father, and you can still hug her and talk to her, but no dehumanizing Paul because she loves him, and I'll check the spell you put on her before I go to sleep. If I find it more than you told her it is, we're gone, tonight.'

His father nearly choked, and whispered: 'It is more. I gave her a direct link to my power, so she can always use her magic to save herself, and I'd know if she were in danger. I'd be there to help her in a fraction of a second.'

'How could you, father? You had no right, she is not your subject, she's mine.'

'No she's not,' Hermes retorted,' she's a free spirit, she belongs to no-one. Not even to you, Lykos. I'm still way more powerful than you, and if something happened to her on a mission to save my arse, as you so aptly put it, something I could have prevented, I'd never forgive myself.'

Lukas could not but see the truth in that.

'All right, you've made your point, as far as Melissa is concerned. But you don't love Paul, in fact, I think you despise him, how can I be certain you will not plot to cause him harm, to remove him?'

'I do not despise him, Paul is a true artist, and his talent makes him worthy of admiration. If I caused him harm, or removed him, it would seriously hurt both of you. I offered him the same link I gave Melissa, but he ignored me.'

'He doesn't trust you, father, and I think he is wise not to. I will not discuss this with Melissa, for she is in no danger from you and she'd better not know of your admiration. But I will tell Paul and if he fears for his life, his freedom or his happiness at your hand, we will leave.'

'Please don't, Lykos, and please don't leave me. I'm just envious of his power over both of you. How can one mortal have a right to so much love?'

'By giving us everything he has, father, he has done so much for me, shared his love for me, though it was very hard for him. I may be a god here, but I still worship him.'

'If I promise to guard him as well as Melissa, will you believe me?' His father was practically flinging his feelings at him, desperate to convince his son of his sincerity.

The elves had told them he had changed, could be trusted. But that was before he was restored to power, on an alien world.

He replied: 'I'm still not sure, father, I'm risking everything here, I don't like negative feelings at all, but I cannot believe that you would let something you really want go to someone else. I'm not promising anything, I'm going to bed now. Good night.'

'Good night my son.'

Melissa couldn't sleep, it was just too quiet outside, and the voices coming from the terrace were too loud. After making love quietly, with Paul taking the greatest care to thoroughly please Melissa before even thinking of his own lust, Paul had fallen asleep, looking forward to the challenge Hermes had promised him.

Still in his arms, surrounded by his familiar scent, she lay awake, listening to the voice of her other beloved, worried that he sounded different, almost angry, an emotion that only his father seemed to be able to call forth in him.

Was it a mistake to come here?

And what could they be fighting about?

Drifting in and out of sleep, still hearing Lukas' voice in anger, his father now almost pleading, she resisted the urge to go out and see what was going on. Moments later, Lukas came into the chamber, undressed, and crawled in next to her.

She took him in her arms and felt the tension in him, and his solid muscles, his chest, his stomach, and those huge bundles on his legs, hard as iron. His scent was strong, had he worked himself up in anger? Lukas?

Still stroking his hard, lean body, she nuzzled his neck and asked softly: 'You're angry. Do you want to talk about it?' He turned towards her, buried his face in her breasts for a few moments, then looked up again and said: 'Did we wake you up? Did you hear anything?'

Moving one hand to scratch his horns, she replied: 'No, I couldn't sleep, everything is so strange, it is so quiet. Except your voice, I couldn't make out the words, but you sounded angry, I don't know you like that.' Lukas leaned into the blissful feeling and felt himself relax, his hands now exploring Melissa's creamy curves in silence.

After some time, he said: 'My father can still make me very angry, he is so self-centred.'

She replied: 'Well, he is a Greek god, they are reputed to be very selfish and uncaring about mortals like us.'

'I'm not worried about you, he really likes you and I'm convinced he will do everything he can to protect you. But I'm afraid for Paul, my father refuses to acknowledge him by name, considering him just another mortal and as such, a pawn in the game between him and his fellow gods. Let's sleep on it, and ask Paul himself, and if he doesn't trust Hermes we'd better go back tomorrow. We can go to his parents' estate or to Ireland to have a holiday.'

This really hit home with Melissa, if Lukas truly feared that Hermes would bend Paul to some goal of his own, she didn't want to stay either. She said: 'That is serious, but let's deal with it tomorrow, together. Do you want to make love now?'

Lukas looked at her hungrily and his voice was husky as he confirmed: 'I do, very much so. But wouldn't that be asking too much of you, with Paul heated up so much, to have two men to have to make love to?' He was so sweet to think of that, but actually, the whole situation made her feel eager for his love, and to be honest, the heat was having its effect on her as well, making her feel horny most of the time.

So she breathed in his ear: 'The heat is turning me on, too, and I want to feel you really close to me, inside me.' The love in his eyes was just breathtaking, and his feelings broke through his shield for a moment, or he projected them on purpose of course, his love and his need for both of them filled her up and made her feel so incredibly wanted and loved, that the feeling nearly drowned out her lust.

Until he bent over her and kissed her, his lean body against her voluptuous one, his rock-hard erection against her thighs, his dented lip against hers, their tongues meeting.

She wanted to feel him inside her immediately, so she got hold of him with decision and guided him into her, groaning with pleasure at feeling him fill her up slowly, his flesh against the sensitive places within. The heat flaring up surprised even herself, but she merely blamed it on the climate and enjoyed the feeling intensely.

Lukas seemed to be in a very thoughtful mood, thrusting slowly, experiencing every movement intensely. That was fine for the second round, but first Melissa wanted some action, so she reached out for his horns and scratched them firmly, getting the explosion of ardour she wanted.

This was just incredible, his trusts followed one another so rapidly, they melted together and became one intense experience, leaving her no moment to catch her breath and causing her to have a wave of bliss within almost no time at all.

Then Lukas slowed immediately, his mood unchanged apparently, and he removed himself from her and settled himself between her legs, ready to indulge in a nice, long taste of her. His tongue licked, his mouth sucked, and she quivered under him, his tension draining out of him, and her heat rising steadily. He brought her to several highs, all different, and she didn't stop him, even when her own heat had dwindled to nearly nothing, he seemed to need this just now, and it still felt wonderful, if not exactly filled with extreme passion.

And then he was ready for some action once more, and because he knew she was sated, he guided her legs on his shoulders, to reach that one spot inside her that could always give her bliss once more. And this time was no different, as soon as she felt his touch inside, her heat rose one last time, and as he speeded up she saw his face, smiling happily again, until she lost all contact with the world and spun in ecstasy, round and round, higher and higher, until she came with a smothered cry, and watched him as he lost it in total bliss, thrusting furiously, until he shuddered in release and crashed on top of her.

Everything would be just fine, she just knew that suddenly, as she laid there in a strange bed, but with the familiar shape of her beloved behind her, and the heaving, panting goat-man on top of her. She clutched him to her with all the love she felt for him, and he smiled at her, undoubtedly picking up her certainty of a happy end.

He rested in her arms until his breathing was normal again and they were both ready to go to sleep, then he rolled to the side and they fell asleep in a tangle.

Neither of them gave a single thought to the centuries old god in the body of a stunning young man, who laid in his bed at the end of the hall alone, awake, and who heard some of the sounds of their loving with a mixture of desire and sadness, and who was even more determined to prove his reliability to them, starting to see that sharing love with the same person was not always a bad thing.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, Melissa awoke early, of course by Lukas kissing her, saying: 'I'm off for a run, or a swim, depends on the state of the paths, I'll be back in a bit over an hour.' Though there were no clocks in ancient Greece, Lukas seemed to have an uncanny sense of time, and Paul had brought his copper watch which seemed to run fine, Melissa couldn't wait to find out if time did indeed run differently here.

She was too much awake to stay in bed, so she got up, dressed in another one of those flowing linen dresses, this time a light green colour, and she sat on the terrace. Ophius brought her a steaming drink, not coffee of course, they didn't have that yet in ancient Greece, nor tea, but a herbal mixture that approximated the taste of tea surprisingly well.

She wished him a good morning, in accentless Greek that still surprised her a little to hear come out of her own mouth, and he replied: 'And the same to you, mistress.

The master told me you were used to a hot beverage in the morning, this is what I came up with that resembled your English tea the most, according to him.'

Melissa was touched that Hermes had gone through such trouble to make them feel at home, and she said so. 'And could you please call me Melissa? Being called mistress makes me uncomfortable, I'm from a humble family.'

Ophius nodded and replied: 'I will if it pleases you, Melissa,' quite pleased to find her so kind and unassuming. He had a great deal of love for the boy he had helped raise, and it eased his mind to know that he had finally found love with two such stable friends. He had observed them sharing love with extreme passion, sorting out a minor problem amongst themselves, they had clearly supported Lukas in his rise to power and they were keeping him connected to mortals. What more could a young man want?

His master's slip of the heart yesterday had not escaped Ophius, nor had he missed the conversation in which Lykos had taken his father to task. It did not surprise Ophius that Hermes would fall in love with a young mortal, he had done that before, and this girl was very exotic in her looks and quite a character. And though never before had a girl ever resist his charms, it did not surprise him that Hermes persisted, either, he usually got what he wanted in the end.

What did surprise him, was that his master had desisted from just making the girl fall hopelessly in love with him. He could, and he always had so far. The fact that Hermes was mooning over an unrequited love was the only surprise in the whole affair, and he would watch with interest how things would turn out.

Ophius was very proud that Lykos had talked back to his father, and he did not doubt that his favourite would pack up and leave if Hermes so much as thought of turning his will to either the girl, or the young man of his choice.

Having heard his master's account of his sufferings in the future world, Ophius did not doubt that Hermes had learned a lot, the hard way, and that he would not betray Lykos and his friends. But that wouldn't stop him, Ophius, from keeping a sharp eye and ear out for information, for he was not going to let the son suffer from the father's selfishness ever again.

As Melissa sat on the terrace, enjoying the cool air for as long as it would last, she looked around in wonder and just couldn't believe she was really here. She could not imagine living here, it was way too quiet to her taste, and she really needed something to do, she could imagine Paul jumping on a chance to make a piece of jewellery for whomever, just to have something to do with his hands. She of course preferred to exercise her mind, and she would find a way to do just that.

After maybe ten minutes she was joined by Hermes, who looked as young and as fresh as ever. He wanted to greet her all over again, and she indulged him, reminded of Lukas and his constant need for assertion of their love for him. He was cute, like a sleek, handsome tomcat, but still cute, and he smelled very nice, and she did not mind at all to embrace him and even spared him a few chaste kisses.

'I'm sorry if I am too familiar,' she excused herself, 'you look so young and remind me so much of Lukas, that I find it hard to keep in mind that you're actually a god and centuries my senior.'

He smiled beatifically and said: 'I like it when you treat me like a friend, I wouldn't spend loads of power to look like a young hunk if I wanted to be treated like an ages old god. Then I'd look like my father, Zeus. I'm not going to introduce you to him, he'd snap you up in a second, and leave Paul and Lykos to pick up the pieces, you'll just have to take my word for it.'

He called Paul by his name, good, he was at least trying to see him as a person. Ophius brought his master a cup of steaming tea as well, and gave her a refill.

'May I tell you how well that style of dress becomes you?' Hermes observed, 'you look like a goddess. Your appearance will hit the people here like lightning, they've never seen anyone with a light skin and copper coloured hair. Is Paul always a late sleeper?'

Melissa nodded: 'If he gets the chance, yes.'

'Good, I'll send a message through the mosaic to my staff and have them deliver a package for him before we leave for Ophelie's house. Gold or silver?'

'You want my opinion on what a goddess likes?' Melissa asked.

'Sure, she's a woman, you're a woman,' he said, 'anyway, I have my opinion too, I just want to know yours.'

'Gold,' she said decidedly, 'personally I prefer copper, but most ladies like gold better. It makes them feel special.'

'All right, and what else will Paul need? Sketches of dolphins, wax to make a mould?' Hermes asked.

'I guess he'd make a mould in wax, several actually, the horses aren't all the same either. Then he'd melt the metal, cast the shapes one by one as many times as needed, finish them to a sheen, pull a thread from the metal to shape the connecting links out of, shape them, connect everything to form a necklace, shape the fastener.

Making the wax moulds is the most work, but if he's going to use magic, who knows. Melting the metal is impossible without furnace, again, unless he uses magic. Tools to shape the wax, files, buffing sand, buffing cloth, clamps and pliers, a bag to carry everything in.'

Meanwhile, Hermes had picked a flower from one of the bushes struggling to live on the cliff face, gesturing for Melissa to continue summing up the materials needed. When she had finished, he enumerated all the items she had mentioned to the flower, and as he did this, she could see him glow a tiny bit.

Then he called for Ophius, handed him the flower with the instructions to take the flower through the mosaic to his steward, and tell him to deliver those materials within the hour. Melissa was stunned, to see magic used openly for the simplest task imaginable, a little list written on a slip of paper would have served just as well.

Except: 'Don't you use paper?'

Hermes looked at her in confusion for a moment, then remembered: 'Ah, paper, no we don't use it much, we have vellum, made of animal skins, but it's expensive and can get smelly. You'll see it when they deliver the sketches. I saw some paper at George's, great stuff, I loved it. But this works a lot faster.'

After half an hour of conversation, Hermes seemed to decide something, and said: 'Melissa, Lykos and I had rather a firm discussion yesterday evening, and you corrected me as well for not using Paul's name. I want you to know that I am sorry I concentrated my attentions on Lykos and you, and saw him as an afterthought, for I must admit I did at first, and I promise I will do better in the future.

I will do my very best to ensure he has a good time here, and if your mission should turn out more dangerous than expected I will spend the same effort on protecting him as I will on you. And I will apologize to him and tell him what I just told you.'

That was something Melissa was pleased to hear, and she told Hermes so. 'Paul is truly my other half, I cannot live without him. He has little in common with you, having chosen to be a normal, hard-working citizen instead of a member of the elite he used to belong to, as powerful on our world as you are in yours.'

'He did? He is an incredible artist, and a mage even on your magic-starved world. I should have spent more time getting to know him.' He seemed truly sorry, but it was not all his fault: 'That was not just you, Hermes, he did not welcome you in our lives either. He's very protective of us, and you did threaten Lykos rather pointedly.

And you expected me to warm your bed, when I was just married to him in a bond meant to be exclusive. His accepting Lykos was a big miracle and the result of your son's boundless capacity to love.'

'Lykos is somewhat of a miracle, he seemed totally without Gift, and completely mortal, and now he's a god with thousands of worshippers, within one day. With that nasty rumour doing the rounds.' That apparently bothered Hermes, someone slandering his deserving son, but Melissa thought that if Lukas had been of irreproachable behaviour, they wouldn't even have tried.

Still, she had Ophius' insight on that: 'It is probable that the rumour got him the worshippers, everyone who ever loved him, physically or just because they met him, when they heard the rumour they thought of him with love.

Without it, he might have been forgotten by most of them.'

How did someone so young think of that? Hermes just couldn't believe it, though he had been a precocious child himself a very very long time ago.

He didn't check his surprise, she was very smart as well as painfully beautiful, and she might as well see his reaction and feel the compliment in it.

'That didn't occur to me at all, but hearing it I'm sure you're right, you do not only see right through physical things. I vaguely remember a man George said was your father. He was very powerful, even in the eyes of the god I still thought myself then, a great maelstrom of power that would have drained me to a husk in a second if I had taken him on when he challenged me. It explains a lot about you. How's George?'

After setting him to rights about Ophius having deduced the effect of the rumour, she answered his question about George: 'You broke his heart when you left. Fortunately Lykos was there to patch it, and by the time we left he was much better. He taught Lykos a lot in those two weeks, when his Gift started growing out of proportion.'

Hermes was clearly affected strongly by the thought of George, his face fell visibly, and a strong longing seemed to have him in its grip.

'Leaving George broke your heart too, didn't it?' Melissa offered him an embrace, and against better feelings he sat on her lap and let her wrap her arms around him. See, now he'd done it.

Tears rolled down his face as he told her: 'I still long for him, yes, I felt so safe in his home, in his arms.

No responsibility, under his protection, no scheming or plotting, no spying to stay one step ahead of my enemies. I never realized I was so tired until I lay there, helpless, in pain but still happy and at peace.

Only fear for my people could induce me to step through that portal again, and I've been sorry ever since. You and Paul take care you take Lykos with you when you go back, he is too innocent and too good for this world. It'd break him or spoil him.'

Melissa was sure he was wrong about his son's spine, but she didn't tell him, they were going to take Lukas back so it didn't matter. She held Hermes as she had held Jonathan several times, full of compassion, his head on her chest, stroking his hair and his gorgeous face, and she said: 'You know Lykos can help you cope, too. Not as thoroughly as he helped George, for he made love to him of course, but he can take a little of the acute pain out of your memories.'

Whatever Hermes felt at being held against Melissa's bosom, smelling her scent, her hands stroking him gently, it wasn't meant to last. For before he had gotten over the shock of remembering George, he was physically lifted off her lap, and held in an iron grip above the tiles of his own terrace.

'I told you to keep your will off her, what have you done! I knew you could never change, why did I ever trust you!'

Instead of being held over his terrace, Hermes was now in serious danger of being held over a hundred foot drop.

'Lukas have you gone mad?' Melissa called out, 'let that poor man go, he didn't do anything to me. He was just feeling sad about having to leave George and I offered him a little innocent comfort.'

Lukas let his father go, and his face lost all the anger and became a study in shock and guilt. Melissa couldn't stand the way he looked, lost, broken even, and she said: 'Lukas, come to me.' He was in her arms in less than a second, face in her bosom, crying broken-heartedly. She just held him until he would become sensible again, and looked at how Hermes was doing.

He was still in shock, and Melissa could totally understand, he had been totally immersed in his grief over George, and he didn't even have an idea what had happened.

She caught his eye and said in her most soothing voice: 'You too, Hermes, come to me,' holding out one arm for him.

And that was how Ophius and Paul found them as they came running out of the house after hearing the ruckus. Lukas was still crying stormily, and his father was stunned into total silence, both in Melissa's arms, not seeing anyone or hearing anything.

Paul asked: 'What happened, can I help?'

Ophius saw no threat to anyone, so he went back into the kitchen to bring out breakfast. Lykos' friends were able enough to solve this.

It was clear that Lukas was totally out of reach, so Melissa looked at Paul to comfort him, and focussed her attention on Hermes, whilst Paul stroked his friend over his curly head tenderly.

'Hermes, are you all right?' she asked concernedly. He did not like a god at that moment, his eyes were glazed and he didn't respond to anything she said or did. She did not trust this, he had been through a terrible ordeal not even a month ago, he had clearly not dealt with his grief and his stress at all, and now his own son, who was known for his loving nature, had assaulted him. This was a case for Lukas. He just had to deal with his own guilt later, and see to his father now.

'Lukas, you need to snap out of it for now. We'll talk quietly later, and you may cry, but your father is not doing well, he needs you.'

Lukas' head looked up, guilt all over it.

'I'm not mad at you, love,' Melissa told him, 'you thought you were protecting me. But your father was not sitting in my lap for nothing, he has been suffering from grief over leaving George, and he feels unsafe all the time. He seems in traumatic shock.'

And Lukas proved he was made of sterner stuff than his father thought, for he sat up, stroked his father's face and said: 'I'm sorry for what I did to you just now, dad, please talk to me.'

Still no reaction. Lukas moved to touch him with his Gift, until Paul stopped him and said: 'Not without anchor you don't. He's a god, remember, his mind is vast, and you are just a tiny godling yet, with little experience in healing gods. Take Melissa.'

This did give a reaction in Hermes, who whispered: 'No, please. I want you along, Paul, not Melissa.'

Which they did, Hermes still in Melissa's one arm, Lukas in the other, and Paul sitting on the ground next to them. He contacted Lukas, who touched his father.

His mind was indeed vast, but it was pretty obvious what the problem was. As a god, Hermes was used to getting his way by all means necessary, and he had always bent people to his will, never even thinking of their fate. His life had been ruled by his own needs and wants, he had loved only a few favourites, the rest were playthings for his amusement, to be used as pleased him.

Sickness and pain were unknown to him, helplessness and dependence were similarly alien feelings.

Then everything changed: his people were in trouble, he needed his son who had disappeared in thin air, his long search ended in a humiliating disaster, bringing him down to the level of an ordinary mortal, experiencing every hurtful feeling possible.

And under George's guidance he was changed, from selfishness into compassion, from aloofness into caring. He felt safe and understood, until he realized his absence was causing problems and he had to return instantly.

Unconsciously, he still had many unprocessed traumatic memories, of agonizing pain, of helplessness, guilt over his former attitudes and behaviour. His abrupt return had added grief over his loss of George, missing the feeling of safety being near George had given him. And the stress of his duties had hit him much harder than they ever had, realizing finally that all his people were just that, people, not just pawns on a board, to live or die as the Fates decided.

He had been so happy when Lykos arrived, bringing his pretty friend, an end to his troubles and a chance for some loving in sight. And though the loving was less likely than ever, at least his hopes of success for the diplomatic mission had soared, for Lykos had returned self-assured but still goodness itself, and filled with the power of thousands of worshippers

Yesterday evening his son had delivered a pointed warning about manipulating his friends, having caught some casual thoughts on those matters, thoughts that did still occur to Hermes occasionally as a remnant of his former attitude towards mortals. And he had tried to convince Lykos that he had changed, that he could be trusted.

But now his son had attacked him without even giving him the benefit of the doubt, and he would certainly leave as he had threatened, leaving his father and sister to the tender mercies of the other gods and Hermes' enemies. All was lost, and Hermes didn't want to face any of the consequences anymore, he just wanted to be at peace for a while. He rolled himself into a ball and broke contact with everything.

A voice pleaded: 'Father, I acted in sudden anger, I'm sorry. I guess I still resented you using me all my life, I was afraid you were still planning to use the people I love most. Please come back to me, I will help you, on my own if needed. I love you father, please come back.'

There was no reaction, ordinary healing was not going to solve this, his father suffered from a severe mental trauma, and Lukas was going to have to use his Gift on him, the kind of healing that usually ended in lovemaking. He hoped this wouldn't drain him to death, he couldn't make love to his father after all to pay the price.

Releasing his Gift, he found out that when a god broke down, he had his reasons, and he broke down good. Centuries of old hurt, feelings of unsafety and guilt had to be faced again and again, until they stopped being so incredibly painful.

Then the more recent traumatic memories had to be faced and treated. Hermes' mind was so vast, he remembered everything in the tiniest detail, and if Lukas had not grown so much, he would have been eaten alive by the need and the fear in that mind. Even with his new powers he was glad he felt that unshakable link to Paul all the time he was roaming that huge place, encountering more stress and more doubt, attending it and moving on, ever further from his own being, in danger of being lost.

A small part of his own mind realized that Paul's single-minded love was holding him linked to his own consciousness as nothing else could. With the help of Paul's unwavering devotion to him he managed to find every traumatic memory, and put it to rest.

He wanted Hermes to remember every second of his hubris and resulting downfall, but he did not want his father to suffer for it this much. After what seemed an eternity, he was done, and he could feel his father responding again. He followed Paul back into the now.

Paul was relieved when Lukas was done. He had concentrated on keeping Lukas anchored, he no longer needed feeding, the love of his worshippers came rushing in as his Gift drained the power out of him. He had been right though, not to let Lukas enter this mind without anchor, it was huge and very chaotic. Centuries of knowledge, memories and feelings were stored, but none in a preconceived place, there was no storage system.

Hermes was clearly a very intuitive person, ruled by his feelings, lacking structure. That would make his vast responsibilities seem even larger, he was probably not good in delegating at all because he wouldn't know how to communicate what he expected.

This was something that Paul might help him with, if Hermes would be open to the suggestions of a mere mortal. Keeping one's tools and materials in a designated place, always returning them there so they could be found quickly, planning one's tasks ahead, defining the job before accepting it, it all helped to keep the mind clear and available for matters that required serious thinking, no matter what the scale.

Sorting the memories they encountered and putting them away with the others of the same kind, in chronological order, was the work of moments. Feelings could be classed as well, and put away in another section of the vast mind.

As Lukas handled the feelings they encountered, Paul filed them away neatly, available for contemplation but no longer jumbling Hermes' mind.

And then Lukas encountered a feeling he didn't know what to do with. Paul joined him to look at it, and understood Lukas' hesitation. It was Hermes' love for Melissa, still strong, and lying about between the traumatic memories and the need for George.

Lukas communicated a question: 'I can destroy this, he need never know. Do you want me to?'

Paul sent a reply: 'Do you want to?'

'It would make things easier, but we'd be just as bad as he was. And who knows, maybe it is meant to be, then tampering with it would insult the Fates.'

He handed it to Paul, who stored it away neatly, with the other loves. He didn't order them chronologically though, let Hermes sort that out by himself, keep his love for Melissa caught up between the love he had felt for thousands of other women and men, intensely, but never very deeply.

Task accomplished, he preceded Lukas back to the now.

As Paul came back to her in an excellent mood, Melissa found Lukas out cold, as in the old days, and Hermes wide awake and much, much better. He looked Paul straight in the eye, and said: Thank you very much, Paul, I hope we can be friends from now on. You did something too, didn't you? I hope we will find the time for you to show me how you do that, I want some of it in my life as well as in my memories.'

Then he bent over his son, stroking him with love, kissing his stubbled cheeks, getting an unconscious little smile of the cute, dented lip as reward.

Melissa was flabbergasted, what had happened in there? She felt a hand on her cheek, Paul wanted to kiss her and she kissed him back with intense love, and pretty soon, passion. Oh well, somehow it had all turned out well, and maybe she would hear something of it in the future, or not.

She asked Hermes: 'Feel better?'

He looked up at her and found his voice: 'Much better. He is good, very good. I have not felt such peace since, well, since George. Maybe I'll visit George some day, take a few weeks holiday every year. Paul taught me a new concept: delegating. I'm going to ask him to explain it to me at length, after our mission is done.'

How people ever found it in themselves to worship Hermes was a complete mystery to Melissa, he was so unbelievably human she'd sooner worship Paul, or her father. They at least had something elusive. She did wonder a little why he hadn't wanted her in his mind, she had been there before after all.

Still, Hermes was very much improved, and she shooed Paul and him off Lukas to go and have breakfast, apparently something quite profound had happened between them, and maybe Paul cared to start explaining modern management terms to Hermes straight away, it certainly seemed as if Hermes could use that, since his empire appeared to crumbling at the edges.

And to be sure, they were soon tucking away bread and honey and tea happily, chatting all the time,

laughing, Hermes gesturing broadly and touching Paul negligently, as Lukas had warned them his people were wont to do.

Comforted that those men were finally getting to know one another, Melissa turned her attention to Lukas, who was still out cold, breathing strongly but not even twitching or smiling in his sleep. She felt her heart reaching out to him, he had attacked his father to protect her, he must love her so much to instantly overcome his general mildness for her.

Carefully lifting him on her lap, she had a strong feeling of having lived this moment before, holding him tightly, stroking his hair, his cheeks, his chest, smelling his musk. The day was warming up fast, and he had probably been running, not swimming, for she did not smell the tang of the sea on him. He was as naked as when she had first seen him, his soft skin mottled as ever, but the rest of his body changed beyond recognition from the emaciated creature hiding behind her hearth, though still skinny he was now in the prime of health, covered in a tiny layer of fat over solid muscle.

Nearly overcome with feelings she vented them in a kiss on those dented lips, licking that dent as she had seen Paul do, then kissing him again. His eyes opened, his arms gripped her tightly, and he answered that kiss with incredible passion. 'Let's go to the bay,' he whispered, 'there is a price to pay after all.'

She nibbled his ear and said: 'Let me tell Paul, will you wait for me on top of the cliff?'

As he got up, and saw Melissa walk towards the two men talking and eating in excellent spirits, Lukas ruthlessly suppressed the feeling of guilt trying to get hold of him. He had lost control, he had attacked his own father when he was in dire straits already, but guilt wouldn't undo any of that. He walked towards the cliff-face instead.

Sooner than he expected Melissa joined him, practically running after him, grabbing his arm. 'You're not afraid of the descent anymore, are you?' he asked her in mild surprise at her fearful demeanour. She smiled, in relief?, and replied: 'No, I'm not. I think I could fly down by myself, actually.'

The throbbing heat in his entire body distracted him from everything else, and he asked: 'Can I hold on to you, love? I'm not that steady yet, I'd rather not test if you can let me fly as well.' She held out her hand to him, and led him down the steep path carefully and slowly. Once on the beach they followed it to the end, where the cliff bent inwards a little, forming a tiny bay, out of sight of the terrace.

As Melissa untied her dress and let it slip down her divine white body, Lukas had to swallow hard to keep his emotions in check. All his life he had shared his love freely, never feeling the slightest need to claim anyone for himself. But today, he had offered his own father harm for touching this woman.

He could sense her conviction that he had done it to protect her from harm, but he was much harder on himself. Had he really been concerned for the freedom of her mind, or had he wanted to stake his claim towards his father? Lukas didn't know, but he did know that he would search his soul to find out. But first, there was a price to pay.

As Melissa had neatly folded her beautiful dress, Lukas took her in his arms, his passion clearly visible, hard against her thighs. After a breathtaking kiss Lukas navigated the rocky waterline easily on his hoofs, unafraid of sharp rock ridges or sea-urchins, and he helped Melissa over the rocks to where the water was deep enough to float. The water was shallow here so he didn't have to fear her drowning.

Once in the water he wrapped her in his arms again, fire in his eyes, his need throbbing in his veins. She gazed at him steadily, then freed one arm from his embrace and scratched one of his horns firmly.

His fervour exploded, and he grabbed hold of her and plunged right into her, water offering no resistance to his superbly strong legs. She floated on her back, and he held her hips and thrust furiously, all his doubts vanishing in her glorious welcome.

Being the master of love, he was an expert in timing his release to his partner, but this time, his body took over and came to a shuddering high before Melissa had even started to warm up a little. Lukas knew she'd forgive him the lapse of manners, and felt himself quieting down significantly with the release of his tension.

And thus he was able to take all the time she needed to heat up under his caressing tongue, his kneeling shape covered to the neck in crystal clear water, hers still floating. She shivered first, then groaned with pleasure as her feelings rose, and after some time she uttered a small cry of release, her body shuddering.

Of course that was just the start, there were more highs to be given before his lust was up again, and he unleashed every trick in his ever thickening book of love on her pale, luscious body, until he could no longer control his own ardour and took her once more, sitting in the water now, making waves together that spread outwards until they touched the shore.

He brushed her mind with his, and was invited in, sharing feelings once more, it had been a long time since they had made love as one. The intimacy was more comforting than stimulating to Lukas, though Melissa still had quite some heat in her.

He felt his own exertions from inside her, adjusting a little to reach the best parts, slowing down actually to experience the feeling clearer, until it reached its height quickly, then ebbed away slowly. Then he speeded up, lost to the world in total abandonment, giving his all, and that was a lot. He felt the effect of his superhuman muscles from both sides, rising and rising, then arched in release, and took her in his arms, totally out of breath, panting but feeling very, very relaxed.

And hungry.

And amused. No, that was Melissa, still connected to his mind, and diverted by his seamless transition from lust to hunger. The price of using magic, even on this world.

Then, pain, hers again, a burning sensation all over her skin. He cursed himself for having forgotten to think of a solution to the sunburn, floating on the glittering surface of the Mediterranean even that short time had been enough to burn her skin again, it was so incredibly sensitive. Delicious though.

Well, it wasn't hard to soothe, so he quickly let his Gift take care of it. The cost wasn't worth mentioning, but he was convinced it wasn't good for her, being burned all the time. They'd have to find a solution now.

'Sorry love, I forgot. Let's discuss this all together, maybe my father knows something that might help. Now I owe him an apology, and myself a square meal. I wish we could have chocolate cake with lots of cream.'

Melissa was surprised: 'You're not beating yourself up over losing control.'

'Naw, that would be useless. And I made up for it many times over, didn't I?' the cheeky Lukas had returned, and the ardent kiss Melissa gave him and the feelings of love that accompanied it, nearly distracted both of them to make love all over again.

But that might worry Paul, he would be waiting for them by now.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In fact, that wasn't true at all.

As Melissa sprinted towards Lukas, to stop him from walking off the cliff, Paul was afraid too, though he couldn't believe Lukas would do such a thing. Still he was glad to see him taking Melissa's hand and letting her lead him down. He was clearly in great need.

After a short time, Hermes asked: 'Isn't that very hard for you to accept, the two of them going off like that?'

Paul replied dryly: 'That is the price Lukas pays to his Gift, it has always been that way. I love him too, you know, very much so. It is not just about Melissa. We would be lovers if I could do it. He very much wishes us to be so.

Hermes nodded, as Ophius stepped outside to clear the table. 'Better leave that a little longer, Ophius,' Hermes said, 'I suspect that two very hungry people will be coming up that cliff within half an hour.'

Ophius looked at his master intently, and observed: 'You look much better, master. Better than in months, actually.'

'I feel much better, Ophius, our son has a great Gift,' was Hermes' comment.

'He has been like son to me for years, Hermes, but his early years were yours.' Ophius clearly didn't like being the centre of attention.

'You were there for him when he needed someone most,' Hermes said, 'Is that package I sent for arrived already?'

'Actually, that was what I came for, it has indeed arrived, do you want it outside or in your study?' Ophius asked. 'Better bring it to us here, it is not too hot as yet, and I wouldn't want Lykos to think I had abducted his friend.'

When Hermes was cheeky, he really looked like his son!

The package consisted of a roll of strong fabric with a string holding it closed. Hermes laid it on the table and loosened the string, unrolling the fabric. It consisted of two layers sewn together in pockets, and Hermes started to unload each pocket.

There was a roll of vellum that revealed detailed sketches of dolphins, a kind of fish with a cute face. One pocket contained a flat cake of gold, rather heavy of course. There were pliers, files and clamps, and a stick of beeswax, shaped to fit a pocket and wrapped in vellum. And a cloth and a glass bottle of sand.

'Now I just need my workshop, and about a week,' Paul remarked, 'how did you know so exactly what I would need?'

'Melissa told me, I guess my people didn't manage to fit the forge in.'

'Well, I can start studying the sketches, then make a design,' Paul started to feel his usual excitement when a creation was taking shape in his mind.

'Have you ever seen one of these dolphins for real?'

Hermes nodded, and said: 'I have, and if it wouldn't be giving the game away I could show you one too. But it would involve asking my sister for a favour, and if she saw you, you'd be the return. She has a thing with smiths, she married one, and he's not half as handsome as you.'

The casual way in which he spoke about his family using up people as if they were food, or another commodity, was unnerving.

'I'll make do with the drawings and your suggestions. I don't have anything to give a goddess in that respect, I have often felt inadequate in comparison to Lykos, even with the woman I love to distraction.'

This confession seemed to amuse Hermes to no end: 'Comparing oneself to my son in the art of making love is an act of foolishness or utter hubris. I've heard stories of his prowess that have made even me unsure of my capabilities to please a woman, and I'm centuries old with experience of thousands of lovers. To each his own specialty, they really call him the master of love here, you know.

Reputedly he is no mean lover of men either, better enjoy the fruits of his experience than try to match them.'

Since this came pretty close to the actual situation between them, Paul having decided to give up the competition and rather enjoy the touch of the master himself, he actually blushed and said demurely: 'At his advice, I have. He ís indeed the master of love.'

Paul tried to hide his feelings by studying the sketches of the dolphins, and softening the wax in his fingers for the first step: to shape a three dimensional image of what he thought they would look like. There were three kinds of dolphins, one stretching, and two leaping. The sketches showed these kinds from the front, sides and back.

Hermes, studying the sketches too, offered: 'This straight one, it is swimming with speed. That leaping one is also going fast, leaping out of the water as it goes. They often do that, they seem to enjoy swimming as much as horses enjoy running or he-goats enjoy, well, you know what.

And the other leaping one, the vertical shape, is leaping just for the fun of it, straight in the air, I have heard some of them can leap as high as ten feet that way.'

That was very useful information, and Paul thanked Hermes for it, asking where had seen dolphins, his fingers shaping the wax whilst he was listening to a tale of intrigue, in which his companion told him how he had seduced a maiden to a beach, taking her on a boating trip, and being followed by dolphins, spying on them at the orders of his half-sister Aphrodite, with whom he had been in an affair at that moment.

If the activity of his hands had not kept him totally relaxed, he would have fled the scene, his ears burning with the embarrassment a Victorian upbringing was bound to install in a young man. His own sister!

Ten minutes later, one of the dolphins was done, and he handed it to Hermes for inspection, feeling a certain satisfaction when the god's jaw dropped.

He didn't stop, he was starting to get into it now, and the next dolphin was fast taking shape, leaping for joy, this one was for the sides of the necklace, the high leap, he'd make several slightly different ones if he managed to do it with magic.

The front of the necklace would consist of alternating speeding and horizontally leaping creatures, as if they were really jumping in and out of the water.

'Do they fall back after a jump, tail first? Or do they turn in the air and land head first?'

Concentrating deeply to check out the first dolphin and finding it totally accurate, Hermes realized he didn't know, and he blurted out: 'I guess they land on their tails with a big splash, if they jump straight up, but I'm not sure. I saw them only once, and I was distracted.'

Still using tiny implements to remove tiny bits of wax, Paul observed: 'Well, I've just spent half an hour in your mind, and you remember absolutely everything. Just find the memory and you'll know. It is important for the continuity of the movement, if they are to really look to be moving, they need to be realistic. Look under: exciting affairs with obsessive goddesses.'

Hermes did what he was told to, and blanked out for a few moments, and just then, Melissa and Lukas returned, looking calm and hungry. Melissa came towards him, but Lukas just waved and attacked the food.

Paul put the little dolphin down, got up and wrapped his arms around his beloved. She smelled of woman, and of salt, and of sex of course. That didn't bother him, it excited him. A lot. He felt his ardour rise in a flash, and he kissed her passionately.

She answered his kiss, of course, but it was clear she was very hungry and not in the mood for more loving, so he sat down again and picked up the dolphin once more. He was very relieved to notice that his heat waned as he concentrated on his work, his time would surely come, and once he got used to the heat he would find control again.

'What's up with my father?' Lukas asked between two bites, 'he all right?'

'He's fine, he's dredging up a memory of seeing a dolphin jump, I want to know if they land on their tails or turn in the air,' Paul replied. 'It's an old memory, and associated with a fling, and he has thousands of those, unsorted, he'll have to look at all of them. He's probably fast, being a god and all but still, it takes time.'

'Are you really going to make him a necklace?' Another question between two bites.

'I am, it's a real challenge and I find I can't do nothing with my hands. Keeps down the heat too, I'm still excited all the time, it bothers me, for it is sure to come between us.'

Lukas stopped eating for a minute: 'Tonight we'll be among people again, you need to share a little, that would relieve the heat, and it will be expected of you. All of us, actually.'

Melissa was surprised at Paul's answer: 'I'll try, but I cannot guarantee anything. I've never felt anything for another woman in my life. And besides, what would you think, Melissa?'

She answered truthfully: 'You've been sharing me all the time we are together, I've shared Lukas with people I've never even met. I suppose I can share you, as long as you promise faithfully to come back to me always.'

Well, it was easy to promise her that, Paul still didn't think he'd ever be interested in another woman.

She said: 'But I don't want to share love with a man I don't know. No-one can force me to, can they Lukas?'

'If you don't feel attracted, you don't share. Love is never forced here.'

'Hermes said I would be attracting a lot of attention here, do you think he is right?'

That was something he needed to think about, and he took his time before he said: 'I don't know. Men who like their women exotic and very smart are usually the elite, not common folk. So I guess you're safer than you might think. And we could arrange it so that one of us is with you at all times, would that be acceptable?'

That would make her feel better, and she told them so, and then she fell on the food as well.

With Hermes' help, Paul finished the three miniatures in one go, then started to think of how to cast them with the help of magic. But first, Lukas wanted them to think of a solution for Melissa's sensitive skin, they couldn't let her be burned every day.

And with Ophius' help this time, he had a relative with a totally white skin who burned in the blink of an eye, they found a magic sun-block that Melissa could apply to herself each morning, a simple spell that would reflect the rays of the sun from her skin.

She could dismiss it at night, or once she meant to stay inside, then renew it the next morning. Paul learned the spell by heart too, he had been feeling the sun yesterday, and until he browned to adjust to it, he'd better protect himself too.

They were going to translocate after lunch, so Paul hardened the wax and protected it against heat with a spell he modified himself from the one that kept his cellar cold. It felt good to practice magic openly, and he was going to spend the evening thinking of ways to shape the little dolphins out of gold without using a very hot fire and moulds.

Having packed their backpacks, and secured the tools and the gold, they sat on the terrace once more, chatting, trying to stay as quiet as possible in the growing heat. Paul was feeling heated in more than one way, trying to ignore it but not succeeding.

He sat next to Melissa and couldn't keep his gaze and his hands off her. She allowed his attentions absently, until she looked at him and asked: 'Do you want us to take one last swim here, Paul, by ourselves, before we will be among people all the time?' He didn't want to beg, so he just nodded, and when she took his hand and led him towards the cliff-face, he felt almost ashamed of his lack of control.

As soon as they were out of sight, Melissa wrapped him in his arms, saying: 'Humility doesn't suit you, beloved. Head up, back straight, you've lost ten years to look at, and gained urges to match your age.' And she was right, there was nothing to be ashamed of, they loved each other, and she wanted him.

They went back into the water, Paul determined to do right by Melissa first, which he did, passionately, no longer paining himself with any comparisons with Lukas. They shared their minds and confirmed their love for one another, having been warned by Jakob against drifting apart they promised the other solemnly they would keep talking no matter what happened.

And when they came back up, Lukas, Hermes and Ophius were talking animatedly, a light lunch waiting, their backpacks in a heap on the terrace. After lunch they went to the cellar, where Lukas said an emotional goodbye to Ophius: 'I think we'll see one another again before I go back to London, but then we'll just have a reason to greet again.'

They all stood in the pattern in a circle, touching, Hermes spoke a different formula, and the ground dropped again, though much less profoundly than the first time. The trip ended in a space similar to that of the villa, empty, rather dark, and with a beautiful mosaic floor.

They were expected, for there was another horned servant waiting for them, who greeted Hermes with something like humility, but caught Lukas with a broad smile, and an informal: 'Lykos, you're back! We've all missed you!'

'You haven't aged a day, Kadmus, so glad to see you. These are my dear friends, Paul Kenwick and Melissa Kenwick.' Handshakes were not common here, but they both got a bow from Kadmus, which they returned.

They were led up a simple marble stairs, through a short hall, into a beautiful large room with painted walls and a wood floor. There were long pleated curtains to the side of the large windows, and stuffed and embroidered pillows everywhere. The general colours were very warm and welcoming, without making the room stuffy or too hot in this sweltering climate.

A woman got up from a luxuriant sofa as soon as they came in, she was clearly past middle age, around sixty probably, still beautiful with a trim figure and a lovely flowing dress, again in a warm coloured fabric.

She seemed torn whom to greet first, and with a look of intense love she embraced Hermes, an embrace he answered not as the son that he looked like, but as the husband he really was. He whispered in her ear, and she was clearly affected very much.

Nonetheless she controlled her emotions and turned to Lukas, who stood gazing at her with a very strange expression on his cute face. Of course, this was the woman he had loved for years, from the moment he had met her when he was around twenty, until the moment he was abducted, some thirty years later. She didn't return his love, she loved his father, she had made love to Lukas only once, and it had been a mistake to her, though it had given her a daughter they had raised together.

Ophelie held out her hands to Lukas, and when he took them in his she wrapped him in her arms and cried.

'Lykos, you're still alive! I thought you must be dead, I never believed those rumours, but when we didn't hear from you for so long I knew something must be terribly wrong. I mourned for you, and Katarina lost all her heart and hope.'

She really couldn't believe her eyes, she had to touch him to believe, she stroked his face, squeezed his hands, ruffled his hair. 'Where are your beautiful horns? You haven't been branded, have you? No, you don't look shamed, you look strong, healthy, and dear Lykos, you look happy! You'll tell me what happened, will you? And you'll seek out Katarina? I'm so worried.'

Lukas still held her and said soothingly: 'I will tell you everything, and I have come here expressly to find Katarina and talk to her. But first I want you to meet my friends, Melissa Kenwick and Paul Kenwick. They are from the place where I fled after being abducted from my father's house, they saved my life and helped me cope with my Gift.'

'And you finally found your love with them, I can see that clearly. So you have a Gift now, I'm happy for you, but I'm much happier to see you finally at peace with yourself. Please sit down, Melissa and Paul, and have a nice cool drink, and we'll talk. Will you sit with me, Hermes? I've missed you. You look different too.'

And Hermes did look different, even to Melissa, something had happened to him in this very house. He sat very close to Ophelie, still a weird sight, with him looking young enough to be her son, and he took her hand in both his, holding it against his chest. Her expression clearly showed he did not usually treat her this intimately, but she controlled her surprise and just enjoyed the attention from an unexpected quarter.

She was small, slim without being skinny, and it was clear she had once been a fabulous beauty. Her hair had grey in it now, but must once have been black as night. She had huge brown eyes, with long lashes, and a very attractive full mouth. Her cheekbones were high, her face delicately carved, still a very beautiful woman, and animated now.

As Lukas told his story, her expressions showed her feelings quite clearly. She felt his fear and his pain at being held captive, the despair at being alone and unloved, the appearance of the portal and his desperate decision to go through. She looked at Melissa with love and appreciation at Lukas' account of his reception in her home and in her arms. The awakening of his Gift, the crafting, the healing of the rejected children, his developing love for Paul, his fear of Hermes and the happenings on the wedding.

Ophelie experienced everything with him, and she looked at Hermes in wonder as he related his downfall himself, and the things he had learned. The telling of the tale took more than an hour, and when Ophelie realized that her step-son was now a god in his own right, a god with healing powers, she nearly wept with joy.

'Now I know everything will be all right, you were always the only one who had any influence on Katarina, and whatever is the matter, you will make it right.'

As they received another round of fruit juice, Paul was very sorry they hadn't thought of bringing some coffee with them. He should have realized it wasn't available yet in this time, on this world it might never be discovered, people did everything with magic, so why would they bother to invent anything to improve their lives? They just made up a new spell and prayed for the power. Ah well, that was just what he was planning to do here, improve his magic.

He was not planning to pray for power, though, and certainly not to Hermes, that was demeaning. He'd make do with his personal power, and if he got into serious trouble he could always ask Lukas for some, he guessed his friend would not expect him to beg for it.

Looking around, he saw little staff, but of course they might be elsewhere in the house. 'Do you live all by yourself?' he asked his hostess. She smiled and replied: 'I used to live with Katarina, but when she moved out with Galan, I asked one of Katarina's friends, Damara, to come and live here with me. I will introduce her to you later. First let me tell all of you how Katarina changed, that may help you to find out what is wrong with her.'

Apparently, Katarina had fallen in love with Galan at an early age, and though Galan had sometimes shared love, Katarina never did, never seemed to want to. How Ophelie could find that strange and even unhealthy was a total riddle to Paul, for she had loved Hermes exclusively for more than forty years herself, but it was very clear that she did.

Galan and Katarina had lived with Ophelie for more than ten years, dedicated to one another, yet they had never had a child nor tried to get one by sharing love. Then suddenly they had moved out, into the surrounding country, taking their own house in the middle of a relatively densely populated area within Hermes' realm.

The people there were all like Lukas, satyrs, horned and goat-hoofed, and they were generally very sweet-natured and inclined to share their love. Yet around half a year ago, these started to form exclusive pairs, first the young crowd, then spreading to the older generations. Soon, it had become noticeable, as some of these new converts began to spread their way of life more diligently, trying to stop the sharing of love altogether, installing local laws forbidding free love.

First to find out was Aphrodite, any reduction in the amount of love going around was her business, and she alerted her father and Hermes, which resulted in Hermes being told to mind his affairs and bring his people back to heel.

Hermes tried talking to Katarina, telling her to mind her father, but she merely laughed at that. She had told him this was the first time she had seen him ever, and her twenty-eight years old. Then he had threatened her, but that didn't make an impression either. She had just disappeared, hiding in the woods around her village until he had to go back to his own house.

He was sorry to never have gotten to know her, and somehow he felt bad about just having her removed and suppressing the unrest around her. So he thought of Lykos.

And after his return from his successful but unfortunate quest, he had been threatened again by his sibling and his father, if he didn't quell this unrest, they would.

Starting to feel restless, and yes, heated, Paul decided he needed to stop talking, and start working. He asked for a secluded corner where he could practice some magic in quiet, and safety, for hot molten gold might become airborne in his experiments, and Kadmus took him to a place that looked surprisingly like a workshop.

It had rows of tools arranged neatly on the walls, there was a sturdy workbench over the whole width of the room, and nothing flammable in sight. A large furnace looked tempting to Paul, but it would take a day to heat up properly, and he was planning to use magic.

'Galan liked to work here, ' Kadmus said, 'he is a crafter, he owns a real smithy now.'

And indeed, on second glance the place looked dusty, out of use. But that didn't matter to Paul, as soon as he had laid hands on the roll with materials and tools, inspiration took hold of him and he couldn't wait to start working.

He sat at the workbench on a little stool, and unrolled the fabric. The carefully wrapped figurines were still perfectly sound, though too large to use for the necklace directly. His hands started to shape smaller copies, in exactly the right size, and then three more with subtle differences that made their movement fitting between the existing three. He also shaped a dolphin plunging back into the water very elegantly, nose down.

He would never have done this if he were planning to cast the figurines, a wax shape would have been useless since the wax mould needed to be the inverse of the figurine. But he was going to try to cut out the figurine in gold as he had it in front of him in wax, something he had never tried, but thought must be possible.

Putting the bar of gold down in front of him, he pictured the image of one of the waxen dolphin shapes straight on top of it, detail and concentration enhanced with a spell he knew well from his studies. He concentrated his power and directed it at the image on the gold. The power melted away the surplus gold, freeing the figurine from the solid bar. The little head, the front of the body with its fins, the...

His power dried up suddenly. Looking at the shape, the half he had managed to free was perfect, no marring had occurred even when his power ran out on him.

He sat up in mixed elation and frustration and only then did he really feel the drain. The room spun, and he had to hold on to the bench to prevent from falling. He could seriously not remember when he had been drained this far, melting gold must be very hard to do to demand such power that a piece the size of a hazelnut could totally drain him.

Feeling faint, he did not hear the footsteps behind him, until a gentle voice asked in Greek: 'Are you all right, master?' An arm supported him, and a face now came into view, a sweet narrow face, with an unruly mop of curls on top and short, only slightly curved horns. Lukas, but even to his befuddled senses, a girl. She sounded, looked and even smelled feminine, but her image was overlaid with that of his dear friend.

'You're not all right, let me fetch master Lykos, or your lady,' the worry in that voice was so real, the second hand now supporting his chest. 'Don't worry,' he managed to say, 'I've only overspent my power, I'll be all right in a minute, in a few heartbeats. Maybe you can help me to sit against the wall instead of on this stool.'

And the gentle hands turned out to be rather strong, helping him to the ground without toppling, then steadying him against the warm wall. She sat down right next to him, holding him upright but also running a hand through his hair freely. If he hadn't been drained to the dregs, his passion would have exploded, as it was he just sat there until he could move again.

'Are you feeling better now?' the sweet girl asked, 'I'm Damara, what's your name, master?'

'Pleased to meet you Damara, I'm Paul, and I am nobody's master, just Paul please.'

'You make beautiful art, Paul, but why didn't you pray to master Hermes for power, you know him, don't you?'

Paul grimaced and said: 'I may know him, but I most certainly will not pray to him. I am nobody's master, but I do not acknowledge anyone as my master either. My own power will suffice, it will take a little longer this way but I'm not in a hurry. I didn't realize melting gold took so much power, I'll not let it drain me next time.'

Damara was certainly not like any girl he had ever known, and that had nothing to do with her horns or her hoofs, but more with her tiny dress and her forward manners. By now she had finished caressing his hair, and had started on his face, stroking his cheeks, and moving down steadily, over his throat, her hand slipping under his shirt next.

'Ooh, you're incredibly muscular, that feels good. Why do you wear such high boots, isn't that very hot?' She didn't wait for an answer, but felt his stomach, exclaimed again at feeling its flatness, then straddled him and kissed him full on the mouth. She had a delicious dented lip, just like Lukas, and he wanted to lick it. Her scent was musky too, but in a different way from Lukas, though just as enticing. She smelled like an expensive perfume, though somehow he knew it was all natural, subtle and so very, very good.

But he was still rather weak, and overcome with her forwardness, and after her exquisite kiss he politely asked her: 'I don't feel so well, though you are very nice to me. Would you be so kind as to take me back to my friends?' He felt rather overwhelmed by her affections, especially since he could hardly move a limb.

She didn't seem hurt by his question, and replied: 'Of course, young mas...sorry, Paul, just lean on me and I'll have you back with them in a minute.' And she lifted him easily, laid his arm around her shoulder and supported him to the room where the others were still talking. Melissa ran towards him, and asked with concern: 'You look faint, beloved, what happened?'

Taking his other arm she followed Damara's lead as the girl led Paul to a comfortable sofa, where he fell against the padded backrest, head spinning with the exertion of walking.

'Don't worry, Melissa, I'm just faint because I totally drained my power. Apparently melting gold uses quite a lot of it, and I was concentrating so I didn't notice. Damara here found me just before I fell from my stool.'

Hermes now said: 'I suspected as much, gold is formed deep in the earth, and it is very rare, working it doesn't just take the power to melt metal, but also something extra, some mental price, which is why I offered you a link to my power.'

Voice still weak, Paul nonetheless managed to sound determined: 'I am not going to pray to you Hermes.'

Exasperatedly, Hermes remarked: 'Have I ever asked you to worship me? You're making this necklace for me, it is my duty to provide you with everything you need to make it.'

Lukas had had enough. He got up and kneeled in front of Paul, took hold of his jaws and kissed him passionately, Paul answering the kiss with sudden fire. Brushing Paul's mind with the request to be admitted, he got pulled inside, and Paul's mind did not look like it used to at all. As Lukas filled Paul's reserve to the brim with his own power, he took a good look around, and found his friend's control the complete opposite it had always been.

Was this damage done by the portal? Lukas remembered how he had had no control at all when he emerged from it, and was on the verge of restoring it to its former height. But then he remembered Paul over-controlled, ten years older than his real age, possessive of Melissa. This was not the place to be good old Paul. So he restored a good measure of control, enough to make his friend happier, but not enough to make him restrained again.

And then he basked for a moment in the extreme love his friend felt for him, and went back to the now. They both took a deep breath. 'That is much better,' Paul observed, I feel almost human again. Thank you. Did you do something else too?'

Lukas admitted: 'I did. When you let me into your mind it was different, all your control had gone, which I suppose is why you look so young. I think it must have been the portal, remember? I had no control left first time I went through. So I restored a little of your former control, not all, for that would serve you ill in this world, just enough to refrain from doing things you'd regret. I hope you approve.'

And at exactly the same time, Melissa and Hermes exclaimed, and Melissa said: 'Hermes, you suffered loss of control too, that is why you threatened Lykos and set the hound of Hell on us all.' Lukas thought of himself, nearly murdering his father without any reason at all.

He did not comment further, but when they were back in London he'd check all of them again.

'Do you want a permanent link from me, Paul?' he asked.

Voice back to normal, Paul replied: 'I'd still rather make do with my own power first, but I'd appreciate it if you would kiss me like just now once in a while. I'm giving you so much love, it's time I got something back.'

How did he know that? Could he read Lukas' mind whilst Lukas was in his mind? Lukas felt himself get all weak-kneed and shy again under Paul's teasing. And how did he do that? With a little cry he fell on his friend's neck, and was picked up and set on Paul's lap for an intense hug.

'I do love you, and I wouldn't mind praying to you once in a while, Lykos.'

Melissa thought their intimacy was very moving and kind of hot, but the girl, Damara, seemed a little put out by it. Was Paul going to share his love very soon?

Searching her own feelings, that didn't pain her, as long as she was not expected to do the same with some man who fancied her. And as long as it wouldn't stick to him once they were back in London. Though that wasn't even fair, for she would still have Lukas.

She decided to follow Lukas' creed and not weigh love. Time would tell, and if she believed Lukas and her father, everything would be all right as long as they talked to one another.

And there was once thing she really did want to know: 'You melted gold, Paul, but did it work? Did it melt as you wanted it?'

Paul looked around Lukas and replied: 'Yes! Above all expectations. I melted the gold away from the shape I wanted to make. In fact, I want to finish the first dolphin, now I have power again.'

'Can we see it?' Melissa asked.

'Not until it is finished. Though Damara has already seen it half finished, so she can come to watch. If you can be very quiet.' That last was straight at the girl, and she nodded fervently. She really wanted to come along.

'Better be ready to answer some prayers, Lukas.'

And with that, they were off, and so far, Melissa did not feel sad or abandoned. That girl looked like a carbon copy of Lukas, and she could easily imagine Paul would be attracted to her. A carbon copy of Lukas, around twenty. Undoubtedly from a neighbouring village, living with a woman who was used to having a daughter of Lukas around. Melissa decided to stop thinking and join the conversation again


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As Paul walked towards the workshop once more, he really wondered why he had taken Damara along. It would give her expectations, and he really didn't know if he would be able to give her what she clearly wanted. She was very attractive to him, an attraction largely due to her resemblance to Lukas, for something in Paul wanted to make love to Lukas desperately, just not in the way he imagined how that would go.

Was it fair to make love to a girl because she resembled someone he loved but wouldn't make love to because he happened to be a man? Was it fair to not make love to the person he loved so much, who loved him as much or more? He didn't know, and he decided not to think about it anymore, but to first finish the golden dolphin and then see what happened.

As soon as he sat on the stool and held the plaque of gold with the front part of the dolphin freed from it, he felt fabulous, and the rest of the world just disappeared. He projected the rest of the image on the gold, activated the spell to keep the detail motionless and meticulous, then directed the power at the gold once more.

With a rush, power drained from him, good, he felt it this time, and the gold melted away once again, freeing the little back fin, the bend of the tail, the tail itself.

The top was done, freed from the gold with perfect detail. But now the bottom, it was still fused to the mass of the gold.

He checked his own power and found it dangerously low already. Unwilling to quit before he had the figurine in his hand, he thought of his love of Lukas, remembering the kiss they had shared just now, the things they had been through together. And he sent out a little plea for some power, to finish his trial piece.

Love filled him instantly, intense pleasure at being addressed this way. He felt himself filled up with power, and a message: have fun!

Wasn't that a cheeky goaty remark! He sent back a thank you, projecting innocence, eagerness to finish his dolphin, and got a hearty laugh as return.

Then he concentrated again, using the spell to keep the image stable and visible, even though the work surface was in the gold itself. Then he unleashed his new power. The gold underneath the figurine melted away into a little puddle, joining with the solidified puddles from his earlier sittings, and even before he could turn it around to check, he knew it was flawless. The power kept filling him until he was at full charge again.

Paul picked up the little figurine of the dolphin, and it was indeed a perfect clone of his wax model. A perfect clone, that shook something in him loose, but he didn't know what. Yet.

He handed it to Damara, and she admired it, but did ask: 'What is it? A kind of fish? It looks cute.' Cute. It did look cute, and so did she, with her dented lip and narrow face. Damn!

'What is it, Paul, aren't you happy with your work?'

'Oh I am, Damara, very happy. Let me pack up my stuff and then we'll show it to the others.'

Her face fell and she pouted a little, making her even cuter. 'Don't you like me, Paul? I thought you asked me along because you wanted us to share love.'

Paul couldn't speak his thought yet, so he studied the bar of gold, even the molten bits were still usable without remelting, to pull the thread for the links with. He put it all away, and all the tools as well, each in its rightful place.

'You love master Lykos, don't you? You kissed him as if you do.' She looked even more unhappy now.

'I do, Damara, very much so. And I find you very attractive because you look so much like him. But I've never shared my love before, I love Melissa and have always intended to stay true to her.'

'What is stay true?' Damara wanted to know, and Paul told her.

'But why would you do that? If you want to make love to me you should do it, it would be unhealthy not to do it,' she was very certain of that. 'Don't you care that if I were to make love to you now, I would really be making love to Lykos, only as a girl?' he just had to ask.

'My mother says master Lykos is the best lover ever. But I'm very sure I can convince you I'm myself, and not him. Will you please love me?'

Paul knew there was no way back, to refuse was a deadly insult, and would hurt this sweet girl a lot. He had invited her along, giving her expectations.

Letting out a big sigh, he felt guilty about cheating on Melissa, and he felt guilty for making love to Lukas' daughter, but if he was very honest, he really, really wanted this.

Her slight shape, the irresistible lip, she'd have one of those cute tails beneath her dress. Would scratching her horns turn her on instantly?

She saw the instant that his decision was made, and she even jumped him. He caught her, crushed her against him, and they kissed with intense heat. His control was indeed slightly higher, and when they ended that kiss and she suggested they seek out her room, he let her take his hand and followed her meekly through several halls and doors to a nicely decorated, good-sized room with a good-sized bed, leaving a thousand pound bar of gold behind him in a fabric roll. Paul had never seen the value of gold, to him it was just another metal.

Damara sure had some heat in her, and she was strong, she practically dumped him on the bed and jumped him, kissing him eagerly, grabbing at him wherever she could.

Fortunately she took the time to unbutton his shirt, which made him glad for he didn't bring that many with him, he was sure she would have preferred to rip it off him.

She had one of those folded dresses, like Melissa had, only much shorter, and it was the easiest thing to loosen the sash holding it together. He did not grab anything or make haste in any way, and as Damara stroked and kneaded his chest muscles with glee, he unwrapped the front of her dress slowly, her chest as narrow as Lukas', her skin as mottled, and as a special bonus, a pain of small, girlish breasts.

By now Damara had discovered that Paul loved at a different speed than she did, and she adapted her eagerness to his loving contemplation of her body, becoming less greedy and more tender, and actually enjoying the time he took for every step.

He stroked her skin to find it as soft as Lukas', and she shivered at his intense touch. She had been loved before, but never slowly, always in extreme heat and very fast. It was clear he was still seeing master Lykos when he touched her, he must have loved him many times, and she wished she could have that pleasure. Too bad he was almost certainly her natural father, for that made loving him not acceptable.

But this human was beautiful, with his pale skin and soft hair, and very muscular. His hands stroked her very gently, she liked that, and as they carefully took hold of her breasts and he sucked the nipples one by one, she gasped at the flash of heat it sent through her.

After her breasts, he wanted to touch her tail, which was singular, for no lover of hers had ever been interested in that part of her body. They mostly went straight for what mattered to themselves. His gentle touch on her buttocks and tail made her shiver once more, and she wanted some more of his to touch.

She unbuttoned his trousers, as he felt her inner thighs now, and reached for the patch of hair between them. He stroked that as well, rubbing the sensitive part beneath it gently, and she could no longer control her own heat. She pulled his pants off him, and they got stuck on his absurdly high boots. She knew he was a foreigner, maybe he was from a cold country.

As she bent over his boots to undo the laces, she stuck out her butt towards him to provoke him to some more action. But that didn't work at all, he got all interested in her little tail again, and stroked that once more, and her butt-cheeks, only gently stroking the part of her that most men would not have been able to resist, teasing her into ever greater passion.

Finally she had those boots off, they were kind of nice, actually, but so unpractical, and she removed the trousers and went for his penis. Fortunately it was erect, or she would have doubted herself, he was so tame.

She took hold of it firmly and took it in her mouth, gently licking the head, moving her hand up and down a little. That finally got his attention, and he gasped and grabbed for her legs, working himself under and between them, spreading her legs a little more and pushing her labia out of the way to get to the prize underneath. He pulled her in his face and licked her until he clearly got way too excited by her ministrations.

Then he turned her over and kneeled between her legs, and he quietly but decidedly brought her to a high, then jumped and entered her on the climax, scratching the base of one of her horns at the same time.

Her fervour exploded, the world started to spin, and she lay panting beneath him. How had he known to do that? No-one had ever touched her horns like that, she thought she'd go mad, her whole body started to shudder and she came to an explosive high.

He smiled at her, and scratched the other horn, still thrusting almost lazily, until he saw the fire in her eyes and realized she liked it fast. He had to support himself with two hands to speed up, and he did, getting a series of moans out of her, and one climax more, nearly at the same time that his own gaze became a bit distant, and he ended it with a sprint.

He supported himself on his arms, staying on top of her, breathing hard, which she appreciated. She noticed only now that he smelled really nice, she had been too horny to really notice much before. Too bad he would probably leave tomorrow, he made love really well. She'd remember the horns, though.

When his breathing had slowed to normal, he sat on the bed and asked: 'Can I hold your hoofs for a moment? I've only seen Lykos' ever before.' She nodded in assent, not even weirded out, and he gently took one of her hoofs in his capable hands, studying it intently, feeling the sides and the bottom. Then he did the same to the other one, and said: 'Thank you. They look exactly the same. Lykos has been wearing shoes, but they have clearly not damaged his hoofs.'

'You did guess he's probably my father, didn't you?' Damara said.

'I did, yes. That is what gave me some more doubts about this, but I'm not sorry. You're nice. And very pretty.'

'Most human males only want to take me as quickly as they can, but you seem to really enjoy my differences. What you did with my horns! I'll be certain to choose my lovers with a little more care and a little less ardour. Thank you for taking your time.'

She meant it, that was certain.

'Do you want to go back to the others now?' she asked, and though Paul found it very difficult to face Melissa, he had to do it, and now was as good a time as ever.

He dressed, put on his boots, and washed his hands and face at the wash-stand. He was not going to let Melissa smell another woman on his face, though he had tasted her on another man's tongue. But that was different. Love was not a weighing matter, he had learned that much from Lukas.

They stepped by the workshop to pick up the roll with materials, and the little gold dolphin. He still liked it very much, it needed some filing and buffing, but that was nice work for when his excitement threatened to get the better of him.

He had excellent control just now, but he had been scared of doing this and feeling guilty. It had been a miracle he had been able to perform, and if Damara had not been the spitting image of her father, and his love for Lukas a lot more physical than he ever realized, he would still have failed to please her. He'd better take care whom he paid attention to here, as much as back in London, though the girls there didn't tempt the guys that much.

Back in the main room, Lukas and Melissa were no longer there, they had gone out for a walk, to explore the neighbourhood where Lukas had lived for so many years. Damara offered to find them together, but Paul didn't feel like disturbing them, who knows where they would have gone and what they were doing.

He decided to spend his time usefully, and make another dolphin. By now he knew the way to the workshop, and he set his things up once more.

Somehow Damara felt he needed some time alone, and she took her leave and hoped to see him for dinner. Alone with the gold once more, he emptied his mind and studied the remains of the bar. It seemed that a rather large amount of gold had been melted away around the little shape, solidifying in a shapeless blobs of gold that he would have to reshape to get another dolphin out of it, so he would try to narrow his beam of power this time.

That worked really well, and it cost a little less power, so he managed three quarters of the next figurine until his power ran dry and he had to ask for more. Lukas was clearly not doing something that distracted him from Paul, which made him feel slightly less lonely somehow, and soon love and power flooded him.

Paul shut out the loneliness resolutely, and finished the little leaping dolphin. It was perfect once more, and less gold had melted around it, at this rate he'd get all the figurines from the bar without having to remelt the leftovers back into a smaller bar of gold.

And when he was ready, through for the day, for it was hard work after having practised magic only rarely for years, he planned to take his time clearing up the mess he'd made, and renewing the spells conserving the wax figurines.

But before the loneliness could return he felt a presence in the room, two actually, and they each sat on one side of him and held him close. 'I'm sorry I pushed you to do this Paul, if it makes you feel so bad.' Lukas gave him a little kiss, and stroked his hair.

And Melissa kissed him too, and rested her head against his. 'Don't feel bad, Paul, or if you cannot help it, tell us about it. I'm actually quite curious, I'm afraid I am hopeless in that respect, I want to know it all.'

He just couldn't believe his ears: 'You really don't mind my talking about it?'

'If Lukas has taught me one thing, it is that love cannot be measured or weighed. So I'm not going to. You are still trying your damnedest not to every day.

Let's hear it, but not here, in our own room. It's gorgeous, and Lukas already knows where it is, for it was his own for years.

And bring the bloody gold, Paul, it's worth a fortune, you cannot leave that lying about all the time.'

How could anything ever come between such a woman and himself? With Lukas in the equation as well? Jakob really had to be wrong.

They traversed a few more halls, went through a few doors, and they entered a lovely room, with, again, a large bed. The floor was stone, not mosaic but simple terracotta tiles. The walls were whitewash, and the bed was a magnificent four-poster with silk curtains of the deepest purple. The furniture was elegant wood, the rugs were lush and also purple. There were beautifully embroidered cushions everywhere.

The room looked like an expensive boudoir, but excepting the rich fabrics, Paul understood instantly why Lukas must feel right at home in Paul's place, for the basic style was the same, honest materials with a lot of work put in them.

'My step-mother put in the fabrics,'said Lukas, 'except the curtains, they were mine.'

They sat on the bed, and Melissa wanted to see the dolphins first, so Paul fetched them from the corner where he had carefully put the roll. She and Lukas were both stunned.

'You did that in a few hours?' Lukas couldn't believe it. 'It would have taken days with a wax mould.'

'They are just perfect, Paul, so detailed and so life-like. They already seem to move, even though there are only two,' Melissa held them in her hand in awe, the little creatures they had never seen for real.

And he hoped he would never see them for real, for that would mean meeting Aphrodite, and Hermes had him very much afraid of her.

'I love using magic this way, and I loved getting power from you, it's so much more personal than plundering a ley-line. Today has made me realize just how much I love you, Lukas, what attracted me to Damara was that I saw you in her.

I'm ashamed to say, that I saw you in a woman's version. I did have a difficult moment when I realized she is almost certainly your daughter.'

Paul saw Melissa nod at this, she had, once again, seen right through someone, and Lukas was surprised, but not shocked. He mused: 'Of course, with the number of lovers I had it is totally logical that some became pregnant. She is lovely, isn't she?'

Paul retorted: 'But very feisty. She didn't have the least bit patience, I think she thought I was slow or lazy, but I was so fascinated by her resemblance to you, that I took my sweet time exploring every inch of her body.

She didn't know about the horns, when I scratched them, she exploded, just like you. She didn't mind my touching her tail, or her hoofs, though it surprised her that I should want to emphasise the parts of her that were different to myself. Most of her lovers plunged right in, she said.'

He became thoughtful again. 'But I felt awful because she wasn't you, Melissa, and I even felt awful she wasn't you, Lukas. I really need to make my love for you more physical, though the thought really scares me.'

Lukas was very much affected, Paul could see tears blinking in his eyes as he said: 'I can control myself Paul, really, I would never hurt you or do anything you don't want. I would never grab you and take you, if that is what you are afraid of.'

Paul felt much better instantly, and they spent the time until dinner together on the bed, Melissa and Lukas each on a side of him, talking about the first time Paul had shared his love, and fondling one other, Lukas allowing Paul to touch his little tail as much as he liked.

When Damara had gone off with the alien artist, who did look totally human and seemed a nice enough man, and Lykos had taken their woman, Melissa, outside to explore the house and the garden, Ophelie remained in the living room with Hermes.

She was surprised to find him so affectionate towards her, he had married her for political reasons, her parents being the most influential landowners in this part of his realm, theirs had never been a marriage of love on his side.

He did visit now and again, and they had made love sometimes when she was still young and very, very beautiful, but he had never cared for her as he had for Lykos' mother.

After that one fateful night with Lykos, bathing in his undivided attention, feeling the strength of his love, she was tempted to elope with the young man who loved her so much. But she did love Hermes, the few times that he had been truly relaxed in her presence, his mind free of matters of state, he had been so caring, and so intensely sweet, she just could not forget those moments, however rare.

And eloping would be leaving the people of her father to their fate. Her father had looked just like Lykos, in appearance, but also in temperament, like all their people. They were so free of aggression, so eager to resolve problems with loving rather than conflict, they needed a person with a harder soul, not to rule them, but to constantly remind them that the world outside their country worked differently, that they needed to be firm in their dealings with them, show their strength once in a while.

For they were not a weak people, just look at Damara, she knew exactly what she wanted and usually got it, and she was physically much stronger than Ophelie.

But they couldn't resist an offer of love, were devastated if someone refused their love, and that made them vulnerable.

She could not deliver them into Hermes' hands, no matter how much she loved Hermes, he was still a god and he didn't see people as individuals but as pawns on a board. Her father's people would be defenseless against his beautiful looks and his innocent demeanour, but they did not see the flint core inside him, and the casual manner in which he regarded their lives.

Since then she had refused Lykos her love, and even every form of physical contact, so they would not be tempted ever again.

And though Lykos had taken her refusal badly, of course he had, seeking comfort and love everywhere his hoofs could take him, when she turned out to be with child he had taken his responsibility as father and formed a perfect little family, even without the physical love between the parents, until Hermes had taken him away from them, and even then he had visited whenever he could.

Before Lykos had disappeared, Katarina was regarded as slightly strange because she stayed true to one man, and wore long dresses covering her whole body. She and her husband were nonetheless valued members of their community, living in the midst of a large village, always willing to help and share what they had.

But after Lykos' disappearance, abduction, as it turned out to be, Katarina had changed to abuse her power over her neighbours and friends. Did she remember that right? Yes, it was only after Lykos had disappeared that her power over them had spread really fast. That might not have been natural, and she immediately told Hermes, who was sitting against her, absently stroking every part of her that was not covered in her dress.

He was miles away, she had to repeat herself twice to be heard, and then he told her to tell it to Lykos before he left for Katarina. 'Aren't you going with him then?' Ophelie asked.

'My presence will not help, I will stay here with you and if he needs me he can build a circle and summon me,' was Hermes' answer, and he wanted to kiss her intimately.

He had not visited her since the time he spoke to Katarina, and they had not shared love for years, what did he want from her?

She asked: 'What happened to you in that strange world you spoke of, Hermes, and what do you want from me?'

Now he woke up, and he looked at her with longing. 'I want to love you, Ophelie, I'm sorry I neglected you, I want to make it up to you. You always deserved better.

When I nearly died from overstraining my power on a world where I had no worshippers, I felt weakness, and pain, humiliation and rejection for the first time ever.

I was helpless and at the mercy of the son I had tried to harm and the people he loved, that I had tried to destroy.

And they helped me, they healed me, cared for me, one of them gave me his love freely. Lykos forgave me and gave me love and his healing powers. And I felt at peace.

I learned that people have their own will, and that their love is worth something, and I remembered your love, steadfast and true.

I want to love you and be worthy of the love you always gave me, I want to be with you. Will you have me?'

Ophelie couldn't believe her ears, after waiting for him, loving him without return for forty years, he dropped by and told her this. 'Hermes look at me, I'm sixty years old, my life is at its end!'

He kneeled before her and took her hands, practically begging her: 'I can give you your youth back, you know I can.'

'And then what?' Ophelie said truthfully, 'I've waited for you for forty years, I'm not going to spend forty more years waiting for you, Hermes. I'm tired of being alone, I'm tired of life, frankly. Lykos is finally happy, and if he can save Katarina from your father and sister, I will be well-pleased, and ready for some rest.'

'Don't say that, please.'

Was he seriously crying?

'Don't leave me! I'll stay with you! As soon as Lykos' mission is complete, Paul will explain delegating to me and I'll do that and we'll have plenty of time together. I'll even promise to stay true to you!'

'Don't be ridiculous, Hermes, you couldn't be true to anyone to save your sorry hide, and anyway, that's unhealthy, you know that.' It was hard to be patient with men, even gods, when they had hysterics.

'So you'll stay with me, you'll let me give you your youth back?' There was hope in his eyes now, they clung to her as if he really meant it. Could his experiences on that alien world have changed him so much?

'I'm tempted, someone needs to look out for our people, and I have no grandchildren. Do you promise to not leave me alone for so long?' She made her voice sound severe when actually, hope was rising in her fast, could this be true?

He embraced her, still lying on his knees, and cried out: 'I promise, I will be with you most evenings once the crisis is over, or I'll take you with me so we can be together most days. Can I do it now?'

'Do what, love?' she asked.

He looked up at her and replied: 'Make you young again of course, before you change your mind.'

'Will it take a lot out of you?' she wanted to know.

He made a depreciating gesture, at the point of denying it, then apparently thought the better of it, looked at her directly and said: 'Yes, it will. Not even I can turn back time without extreme effort, I will probably be very weak for a day.

But I will be safe with you, and you can spoil me.'

Strangely enough, his near lapse into negligent superiority, and his subsequent frank admission of fallibility convinced her of his seriousness. She said: 'All right, you can do it. In my room.' And they left together.

Once there, she got worried: 'What will happen, will you lose consciousness? Is there a risk to you?' 'I might lose consciousness for a while, yes, but there is no real danger. I'm a god, remember,' he said with a sense of humour she couldn't remember from him.

She wanted to kiss him, but she would not, she would wait until she was young and beautiful again. Nothing could be gained by a sixty year old woman kissing a stunningly beautiful young god. Though he really didn't seem to see her grey hair and her wrinkles, her sagging skin. He seemed to really love her.

They sat on her bed together, he held her in his arms protectively, and then he gathered power, lighting up to her sight and even to her eyes. She was afraid it might hurt, but when he touched her bare skin with purpose, she realized it didn't, it was actually the opposite, she felt a huge relief, little aches and pains she didn't even register anymore because she had gotten used to them over the years, melted away and left her with incredible energy.

She had no idea they were taking away so much of her joy in life! She felt her skin tighten, and her muscles firm, and beneath her dress her breasts grew a little and lifted up a lot. Her scalp tingled, as did every inch of her skin, and she felt great, exuberant.

When Hermes let go, she felt like running, filled with incredible energy. But it was clear that the cost to her lover had been high, he was out cold, his face peaceful, free of care for a few moments. It was heartbreakingly beautiful, she just couldn't resist it, and she took his elegant shape in her arms and kissed his face, his hair, everything she could reach.

Spoil him she would, even though he couldn't feel it yet, and for many heartbeats she held him thus and stroked him, kissed him, and smelled his divine scent. She remembered the nights they had spent together, the love he was able to give, could she really hope to have more of those in the future? It was almost too good to be true.

But shouldn't he be stirring by now? This was taking a long time. His breathing was strong, and his heartbeat as well, so she wasn't really worried, but to be honest her rejuvenated body was urging her to be active, and there was a distinct heat rising in her, touching this beautiful man so intimately, smelling his enticing scent.

She kissed him on the lips, and that got a reaction, they opened and he returned her kiss eagerly, hands touching her now, and her passion rose a notch.

Suddenly she felt him being seized by something, his body stiffened and his partly sleepy, partly heated expression became one of fear. He seemed in the throes of convulsions, strong ones, and before long he cried out in agony.

This was not good, he needed help. Lykos.

She pulled the bell and Kadmus was there, instantly it seemed. She was still holding Hermes, though the seizures made that difficult, stroking his face, trying to keep him calm. Kadmus looked at her in amazed shock, and she gasped: 'Never mind, Kadmus, get Lykos in here, quickly!'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lukas was sitting on the bed with Melissa and Paul, letting the latter stroke and fondle his buttocks and his little tail with what Paul thought was incredible leniency on Lukas' side. Actually, Lukas was glad to be lying on his stomach, for that meant he could hide the extreme excitement Paul's tender caresses caused him.

His face showed fond indulgence towards Paul's endearing fixation on his fuzzy appendage but inside him, his passion was almost at a boiling point. He had learned a lot in his time in London, and hiding his real feelings was very useful now, he could enjoy Paul's caresses without scaring him with his ardour.

Those large, work roughened hands were so gentle, tender even, let Paul think he flicked his tail to please him, it was his only way to express the undisguised lust taking hold of him, and he would force himself to make do with that, to prove first to himself and then to Paul that he could control himself even under extreme heat.

Then there was a knock on the door, and Kadmus' voice said: 'Master Lykos, your father is unwell, would you please come with me to look at him?'

Heat drained in a fraction of a second, Lukas was out of the bed and into his pants in a second. Before he could storm out the door, Melissa said calmly: 'Please wait for us, Lukas, we'll be ready in a minute.'

And they were, Paul even managed to put on his boots in a record time, and they were off, following Kadmus through the house until they entered a beautifully decorated bedroom where a lovely young woman sat on the bed, Hermes in her arms groaning in pain.

'Lykos, he is in such pain, can you help him?' He recognized that voice, it was Ophelie, but she was no more than twenty years old!

'Did he do that, Ophelie?' Lukas asked with intensity.

'He did, is he going to die? He told me he would be tired, and asked me to spoil him for a day.' She was distraught, and very, very beautiful.

'No my dear, he is still a god, he cannot die. He has probably strained his nerves too much, they were very badly damaged only a month ago, he shouldn't have been performing miracles this soon again. You couldn't know, love. Here, let us take him.'

And Lukas sat on the bed with his father in his arms, Paul on his one side, Melissa on the other. Ophelie sat in a luxurious chair next to the bed, less anxious now Lykos had taken over. Hermes had stopped screaming, and now looked at his son dazedly, hope in his eyes.

'Melissa, will you come with me? Paul, will you anchor us?' Lukas asked self-assuredly, and they both nodded. Lukas touched his father and unleashed his Gift.

Is was immediately clear to both Lukas and Melissa why Hermes was in great pain again. The incredible feat of giving Ophelie her youth back had sent an enormous load of magic energy through his body, and this had overstrained his still sensitive nerves.

And now his body was gathering replacement energy from the environment straight away, which hurt his nerves agonizingly. There was only one thing to do: have him put up a shield to keep out all power except that of his worshippers, and give his nerves time to heal again. And no large magics for some time!

They came back into the now, and Lukas put a shield on his father like the one Paul, George and Tristan had used in London. That helped a lot, and an ordinary painkiller did the rest. They made room for Ophelie on the bed, Kadmus assured her she'd get a good dinner in her bedroom, and as they left, Paul said cheekily: 'And don't refrain from loving one another, you know love is the best cure for you, Hermes.'

It must have been Ophelie who threw the pillow at him, for Hermes had not seemed strong enough to throw anything just yet.

They left the now young couple to themselves, and had a good dinner with Damara, discussing the best route to take to Katarina's village. They arranged with Kadmus for an early breakfast and he offered the use of a donkey to carry their luggage and the bundle of tools and materials. Of course they eagerly accepted, and they spent a quiet and loving night in Lukas' old room.

The next morning after breakfast they readied everything to leave, said goodbye to Damara, Ophelie and Hermes, who was a lot better but was not planning to come with them anyway. He would make the most of the days they had together before he needed to be back in the saddle.

Lukas said he knew exactly where to go, and though Melissa was really looking forward to the trip, she hoped he would not mind taking a little longer to get at their destination, for she knew she would not be up to a long day's walk with the temperatures they experienced here, and Paul would probably have problems with the heat as well.

Better take two days, and have some energy left to enjoy the trip, it was their holiday after all. Apparently the terrain they had to cross was pretty steep, rugged limestone mountains where there was little water and the soil was stony and poor, making farming difficult.

Lukas' people were mostly pastoral, tending their sheep and goats in the valleys, and supplementing their diets with meat they hunted from the extensive forests that covered the surrounding mountains.

They traded their wool and the products of their craftsmen with the tradesmen and fishermen living in villages on the coastal plain that was quite near the settlement, obtaining fish and valuable commodities like metals.

Melissa had been surprised to hear that they were going to walk through forests mostly, for Frances' account of Greece had described most of the country that she had seen as bare and dry, with only bushes and some cultivated trees. But of course this could very well be a totally different part of the country, or maybe the modern Greeks had multiplied and cut most of their trees, as the English had done.

They left the house and started on a path uphill, and when they had reached the top, Lukas looked back for a moment. The house was large, much larger than the villa on the coast, it was a strong, square building, washed white with a roof of terracotta tiles.

It was not a miracle of architecture, but it would stand the elements, Lukas said it could rain for days in winter, and even the occasional earthquake, apparently this was a very active region in that respect.

'Why does Ophelie have such a large house, Lukas? She's on her own, and she doesn't even have much staff,' Paul asked.

Still taking in the surroundings, saying goodbye, maybe, Lukas replied: 'It is the ancient home of her family, they ruled this realm before Hermes got control of it. They used to be a large family, filling that house with children, grandchildren and staff, but they dwindled until they could no longer defend their territory against human clans pushing the borders to get at the fertile coastal plain, so as tradesmen they begged Hermes for help and he promised his aid in return for sovereign-ship and Ophelie's hand.

Of course there is the occasional human marrying into the families here, but most are like me, satyrs, and very peaceful and not at all able to become very aggressive. Generally my people were very pleased to leave the aggression to Hermes, and just live their lives quietly, defended by his reputation and forces.

It was part of my job at Dionysus' court to represent this part of my father's realm, and I managed quite well, even without magic, mostly because people tend to like me a lot. Maybe that was the reason I was abducted, to have a go at controlling this region, with me out of the picture they'd target Hermes next and undermine his authority.

If so, it is very insidiously and cleverly done, they must know our family well, for I have influence over Katarina but my father hasn't.'

'I don't mean to frighten you, Lukas, but whoever planned this will not be happy when you intervene and they may try to stop you. We may all be in danger,' was Paul's disturbing observation. He didn't seem afraid though, just like that time when we contemplated Hermes coming through the portal.

'Well, if they do, we'll have surprise for them, for they'll be unaware that I am a god now, and that my father and me are on speaking terms again. Still, it won't hurt to be a little on our guard.'

Lukas had turned from the house and they were walking over the hill now, and indeed, Melissa saw clearly that they would soon enter a cool, shady forest, the path running through it as a red line, towards the horizon, well, actually towards the next hilltop.

The donkey was a cute and very willing creature, keeping up easily even though laden with all their packs. Melissa had felt sorry for it with those three large backpacks, but once they were distributed well over the pack saddle it was clear the little animal didn't suffer from the weight, it stepped along daintily on its little feet, and when Melissa started to get tired and hot, the donkey still looked as fresh as it had that morning.

They had been walking for a few hours, with only a little break for a drink from a water bottle they had brought, and Melissa felt her stomach complaining, and her feet as well. Also, it was getting really hot.

Lukas encouraged her, and talked to Paul as well, for he wasn't as fresh anymore either: 'We've come a nice way, about ten minutes ahead is a nice green dell, with a little stream surfacing. I thought we might have our afternoon nap there, and walk on into the evening. How are your feet holding up, Paul, in those heavy boots?'

Of course Lukas was still striding along happily, no fatigue visible at all, his springy legs and rock hard hoofs perfectly suited to this activity.

'Quite well, actually, Lukas. They are hot, to be sure, but they support my feet quite well and I have no blisters yet.' He might not look totally fresh anymore, it was clear Paul was enjoying himself hugely.

Ten minutes went by quickly, and soon they were carefully descending into a depression in the forest, about a hundred feet across, with a steep rock face to all sides and only this path leading down, following natural fissures in the rock, packed with deep red clay.

There were different trees in the little depression, not pine-trees but broad leaved trees, and some were carrying bright orange fruit. The ground was covered in lush grass, and it soon became clear why this little dell was so different from the rest of the forest.

As the little donkey dawdled, snatching at the lush grass, they could hear a gurgle ahead, and soon the grass opened onto a little stream. There was no way for the stream to get out of the hollow, and no way in either. Melissa was speechless with wonder, as she looked around this weird and amazing post-stamp of heaven.

Meanwhile, Lukas had taken the packs and the pack-saddle off the little donkey and set it free to graze and to drink, finding the package that contained their lunch, and filling their water bottles at the little stream. Paul had untied his boots and thrown them in the grass beside the packs, then he started to explore the dell, looking up at the surface of the forest in awe.

'This must be fifteen feet high, Lukas, how did it get here? And where does the stream come from and go to?' Paul asked.

Lukas took Melissa's hand and they joined Paul in his inspection of the wall. 'Just follow the wall around, Paul,' was Lukas' comment, 'and you'll see.'

So they did, and Paul and Melissa were stunned to see the little stream just disappearing in a small cave in the wall itself. Paul walked through it on his bare feet, careful not to stub his toes on a sharp rock, though there didn't seem to be too many of those around, and he helped Melissa to jump to the other side. Lukas of course just stepped right in with his hoofs.

The donkey was very happy, eating the lush grass after a morning walk, and Paul asked: 'Won't the little thing founder with so much lush grass at once? We always had to be really careful with our horses.'

Grinning with delight, Lukas replied: 'These donkeys can handle almost anything, they're much hardier than pure-bred horses. Besides, the grass is a bit rich but the stalks are long and it is thinner than it looks, and they're smart, donkeys, much smarter than the average horse. He won't eat to foundering. But he'll thank you for thinking of him, especially since he has been lugging all that gold of yours around.' Lukas was so happy to be here, what if he didn't want to return to London after all?

Paul laughed at Lukas' cheeky face, and he grabbed him, spun him around and kissed him heartily. 'I love you, you handsome fellow, will you help me make another of those dolphin figurines before our nap? And will you please tell us how this place came to be? I can see that Melissa is just dying to know.'

And she was dying to know, but she wanted to think about it first. She had been taught extensive geology of course, for even the best construction would fail if is was built on an unstable foundation, so she said: 'I do want to know, but please let me think of an explanation first.

Let's have lunch, and you go melt some gold, and I'll study the rocks and brush the donkey and think.'

That brought a look of respect on the gentlemen's faces, and Paul lifted her too, and kissed her too, and said, fire in his eyes: 'Methinks you are forgetting something in your little to-do list. This lush green grass reminds me of a little dell on the Nomes' estate. Unless our fearless leader is unwilling to lose the time?'

Remembering that little dell, Lukas felt his heat stirring, and he observed: 'The path leaves the forest soon, it is way too hot outside the forest for the two of you to be out there in the heat of day. No, we're stuck here for a few more hours.'

They had lunch first, but it was a strange meal, Melissa could almost feel the anticipation in both men, they ate heartily and drank from the clear stream, but there seemed to be some conspiracy going on between the two of them.

Well, she was hungry with all the walking, and she feared it would be late in the evening before she would get something to eat again, so she didn't let the sidelong glances distract her and enjoyed the bread and cheese with a relish. A few olives, some cured bacon, and then a nice drink from the stream. That didn't work out as planned, though, the water wasn't as sweet as the babbling stream promised, it had a bitter taste and an oily feel to it.

'Is this safe to drink?' she asked Lukas, and his response was positively annoying: 'It is, but I'll let you figure out why it tastes like that for yourself.'

When they were all through, the tension between them rose, not to awkwardness or embarrassment, but differently, she couldn't put her finger on it. She soon found out, though, when she was stalked by both men, heat burning in their eyes, one on each side of her, partly hidden in the long grass. Excitement gripped her as they started to nuzzle her, give her small bites, fondle her hair and her curves.

Paul undid the sash that held her dress together, and Lukas opened it as if there was something very precious inside, her white skin a treasure they wanted to possess. Two sets of hands now stroked her, and she felt loved beyond what any living person deserved. Better watch it here on this world, where the gods could be jealous!

There was no occasion to start on some buttons herself, there was so much going on, hands caressing her thighs, her breasts, she decided to just lay back and enjoy, and see whether someone would come within her reach to do her share of the fondling.

And sure enough, pretty soon she was kissed intensely by Paul, and she practically grabbed him, wanting to feel his chest, smell him, run her hands over those pliant muscles and the soft skin. And as she indulged herself, she felt him gasp, mouth still on hers, Lukas apparently busying himself with Paul's nether regions.

Their kissing intensified, he was clearly getting worked up fast, and she heard Lukas laugh and say: 'You're even challenging my expertise Paul, better do some serious work or I can't make you last.' Paul kissed her, and excused himself, moving down, where he seriously set to exploring Melissa's ability to undergo high after high, until she found herself groping again for something to vent her lust on, finding it in Lukas' sizeable erection, wriggling a little to be able to reach it.

And that laid a big bomb under the equilibrium the guys had reached, for under her warm, moist tongue, Lukas' fervour soared sky-high, and he couldn't help passing it on to Paul, who had an explosive climax and crashed in the flattened grass, spent.

That was a temptation Lukas could not resist, and he was on and inside Melissa in a blink of an eye, his slight body pressing on hers, his musky scent filling her senses, his slight body thrusting slowly, enjoying every second.

And he didn't speed up this time, he just proceeded slowly and carefully, kissing her, and kissing Paul, exploring making love at a different speed. It didn't make Melissa's rising ecstasy any less, she used the lazy mood to indulge herself in his muscles as well, loving the feel of the smooth, firm flesh beneath her hands, nuzzling his neck, staying away from his horns to give him the chance to control himself.

She had one brief moment to see Paul still sated and pleased to watch them, stroking Lukas, kissing her, and then her fervour took over, making her adjust her position slightly to feel Lukas' efforts even better, until they both lost touch with the world in the throes of their final climax.

Feeling her heat ebb, she immersed herself in sweating male bodies, mingling their scents, one big heap of total closeness, slowly losing themselves in sleep in the hot afternoon air.

The donkey didn't stray of course, there was water and fresh grass here, it ate its fill then laid down itself, not losing its consciousness in sleep, but rather dozing a little as herd-animals do, staying alert to danger, for these forests still held their share of predators, wolves, lynx, the occasional bear, who wouldn't mind a bite of prime donkey, nor some prime human for that matter.

Paul woke up when the donkey got to its feet to drink from the stream and eat the rest of the grass. The heat was still oppressive, but nothing could stop him once inspiration got a hold of him. It was stronger here, maybe the Muses had their influence on him as well, this was certainly a place where one would expect them to be happy, it was so beautiful and so peaceful.

He was lying against Melissa, legs around hers, his head on her arm, face really close to her lovely white breast.

She was still sleeping blissfully, not even aware of Lukas' body draped across hers, one hand on her other breast, the other one arm around Paul and his face on his chest.

It was foolish to have all gone to sleep at the same time, something was after Lukas or Hermes or both, and they had been totally helpless for an hour or so. They would have to post a watch next time, maybe even in villages, they had no idea who was friend and who was foe. Though Lukas might sense enmity in the people around him.

Trying to remove himself from the tangle of bodies woke Lukas, of course, and he rubbed his eyes, observing: 'That was not the most sensible thing we ever did, fall asleep all together. You know there are wolves and big cats in this forest, as well as the occasional robber. Fortunately the donkey was wiser than we were.'

He got up from Melissa but of course she woke up too, and they all bathed in the stream, and then Lukas and Paul installed their stuff on a big rock in the middle of the dell, and went to work with intense concentration.

She studied the walls, the sediment on the floor of the dell and in the stream bed, and when she thought she had all the information she got a lump of red clay from the ground, moistened it, spread it on another rock and started to draw a cross-section of the dell, and to organise her data.

Paul explained what he had done to free the figurines from the gold to Lukas, who wanted to try of course. He had never learned the spells to memorise images exactly, but somehow his transformation had made magic totally intuitive to him, he didn't need spells anymore. He just thought of what he wanted to do, and it happened that way.

His first attempt was very creditable, it had a few hooks where the gold had stuck to the emerging shape, but they could be removed easily with a bit of filing. He asked Paul: 'Will you use mine, or do you want to make the necklace all by yourself?'

Not using Lukas' work hadn't even occurred to Paul, and he said so: 'Remelting your figurines to start all over again? I wouldn't dare, that would tempt the gods to strike me down for hubris! You're as much an artist as I am, Lukas. I just started earlier in life, so I'm a bit ahead in techniques.

Besides, if Aphrodite ever asks who made it, we can share the glory and the danger. Your father has me quailing in fear of her.'

'She always liked me, I think because I spread so much love around, but she never offered to share love with me. I would have liked to, still do. It is a big honour to be chosen by her.'

'Well, it is an honour I could do without, but I'm glad you're not afraid of her,' Paul observed.

This caused Lukas to laugh, and he said: 'Oh, I'm afraid of her, deadly afraid. But I'd like to make love to her anyway.'

When they had cast two figurines each, Lukas' second one just as perfect as Paul's first, and Paul's second needing a bit of filing, Lukas reshaped the bar of gold with Paul's directions, enlarging the flat surface of the bar to fit the rest of the figurines in the surface. They'd 'cast' those the next day and the days after.

They discussed the possible ways of fitting the figurines together, and then they cleared up the mess and readied themselves to continue their journey, of course not after they had shown the new figurines to Melissa. She showed them her cross-section of the geology of the dell, and said she'd tell them how she thought it had come to exist on the road.

The donkey didn't even mind being haltered and saddled, and they soon had all their stuff loaded, climbing the red clay path carefully and following it through the rest of the forest.

It was not a lot cooler, but there was a little difference, and the hours of rest they had taken meant they went on with renewed spirits.

Melissa told them she had studied the rock to find it limestone, a kind of stone originally formed in the sea from the skeletons of dead sea creatures, accumulated over millions of years, then lifted up and exposed to the forces of the weather and plant-life by the huge lifting force of the earth. Which was why it was now situated on the top of a hill instead of under the sea, and why it was rock-hard instead of soft.

Because the stone was very permeable, letting water drain into it almost instantly, there were no rivers and streams and no river-valleys in this area. The acids produced by decaying plants and the rain draining in caused the chalk to dissolve, creating caves under the surface, where the streams also flowed. Sometimes, a cave would get so large, and the roof so unstable, that it would collapse and form a hole in the ground, like the one they had rested in. The stream would surface for a moment, unable to drain further into the stone because of the thick red clay that was left when all the limestone had dissolved.

They would probably pass more of these holes, and some of them would have a stream running through. The bitter, oily taste of the clear water seemed to be caused by all the chalk dissolved in the water, it was indeed not harmful, just unpleasant, as opposed to drinking salt water which was deadly.

Lukas was impressed by Melissa's knowledge, she had certainly used her time in college well. He had known the hole had been caused by the collapse of the cave beneath, and he had known that chalk in the water gave it that awful taste, but he had not known how the rock got there in the first place.

Melissa added: 'There is probably marble to be found in this area, am I right?' Nodding fervently, he said: 'It is an important trade here, yes, though it is quite difficult to mine, and often stained. How do you know?'

'Marble is limestone that has been baked in the depth of the earth, it often occurs where there are earthquakes. And the staining is due to the plant-acids, the ones we wanted to use to dissolve the basalt block in the wasteland. Basalt is much harder, had it been limestone we would have broken it ourselves, Paul. Still, buildings made of limestone last a long time, so it cannot be that soft.'

Talking on interesting subjects, they made good time, and soon they were indeed at the end of the forest. They were on top of yet another hill, and below them spread a valley that was clearly inhabited by people.

It was rather broad, with a large river in the middle, and the slopes were covered in tilled fields and groves of cultivated trees. Lukas said they were olives and oranges, the oranges closest to the river, where the soil was wetter.

They had all tasted an orange from the trees in the little dell, even the donkey, and they were fabulous, juicy and sweet. The donkey even ate the rind.

The houses were not spread over the valley, but clustered in a village on both sides of the river, and the village was not rambling, but had its houses bunched up together and protected by a wall. When Melissa asked why the people didn't just live on their own land, Lukas replied: 'There are two reasons, but I think they are linked together: the first is, that these people are afraid of robbers from the mountains and pirates from the coast, and living in a walled village makes them less vulnerable.

And the second reason is, that my people tend to be very close-knit, and these villages often own the land communally, deciding on what to grow on which field together, working the fields together, protecting it together.

The hunters share their kill with the whole village, and the herders take the communal herds into the forest or the uninhabited valleys.

Of course the danger causes them to stick together as well. But they will welcome us, since we come in peace and have news to share.'

They took a path around the fields and the orchards, and before they even came close to the village itself, they had acquired an entourage of children, youngsters and a greybeard or two, all with horns in different stages of development, dressed in brightly coloured tunics and shirts and not much else. Even the smallest children had a thick coat of hair on their legs, and though most had tight dark curls like Lukas, there were some with sleek hair.

The people of the village showed as much interest in Melissa, they had clearly never seen someone with such a fair skin and copper coloured hair before, but they were much too polite to try and touch her.

They seemed to know Lukas well, and he was indeed very welcome, though he did have to explain his lack of horns. To resolve that matter quickly he let a few of them feel the stumps, apparently being branded left gaping black holes where the horns had been.

Lukas told them he'd introduce us to everyone at the same time, it would be impossible to remember all their names, though apparently he did, for he addressed even some of the children by name. Of course, he had been a diplomat, and remembering the name and status of any individual he met had once been his job.

Still, Melissa was impressed, and she thoroughly enjoyed his conversation with the people from the village, realizing they would not be able to travel on immediately, that would be a grave insult and it would harm their case with Katarina substantially.

It seemed that Lukas understood this, and he let himself be taken to the village centre, where most of the people had gathered already, it appeared they didn't get many visitors. They were invited to sit, and received drinks and a light meal of olives and fresh cheese, and Lukas told them all the news from Ophelie and introduced Paul and Melissa to them.

Then Melissa graciously allowed those who wanted to, to touch her copper locks and even her soft white skin. Judging their reactions Lukas was right, they clearly thought her an interesting novelty, but none of the men seemed to find her particularly appealing, nor did the women look at her enviously. She was just too alien to them.

Lukas did not tell them what they had come to do, he just told them he was visiting his sister Katarina, and then the stories the people spontaneously told him showed that this village at least had not yet fallen under her spell.

The people were amazed that anyone could stick to one lover, and they still appreciated having Hermes as ruler and protector, they were in fact very happy to hear that they planned to spend more time with the lady they all respected, and to hear that she had been rejuvenated, for that meant a lot of uncertainty about the future had come to rest.

Having learned what they wanted, and told the news they wanted spread, the three continued on the other side of the river, back up a mountain, back into the forest, the afternoon now well past, and the temperatures dropping to very pleasant.

They marched on, uphill in the forest, downhill in the forest, no more valleys to be crossed, though there were similar sink-holes to the one they had rested in on either side of the path, every few miles. It was still very light, but Lukas told them dark set in really quickly out here, as opposed to London summer, and he was planning to spend the night in the next village.

By the time they reached it, Paul was feeling the weight of his boots, and he was looking forward to a good night's sleep. Melissa was very tired as well, fortunately Lukas was still very spry and well up to another village reception, telling the news, hearing the news, showing them his horn stumps to prove he was not branded but had a reason to remove his horns himself.

Although only half a day's travel removed from the other village, it seemed that Katarina's movement already had some influence here.

The young crowd was hanging out in pairs instead of one large group, and wore more clothing, girls wore dresses to the ground, covering a lot more of their bodies, and boys wore trousers as well as shirts.

The children were the same as the former village, and everyone who seemed over twenty was, too.

And when Melissa was introduced, they wanted to touch her too, and stroke her hair, which she graciously allowed, again, realizing how important their first impression was to their mission.

They were offered beds in the community house, a nice well-built hall that would be very useful in the wet days of winter. It had a few rooms besides the large open space in the middle, and they were shown into two of these. The donkey was taken to the communal paddocks, where the villagers kept their few riding animals.

They had a feast just after dark, eating the best a village like this had to offer, and dancing to very nice music made by a mixed group of all ages, except the youngsters. They were not in sight. Their parents told Lukas they went to bed early, worked all day, they never had any fun. It worried Lukas as much as their parents, that was very clear.

Taking his friends apart, Lukas said in English: 'They are clearly affected by some mad idea, some craze. It's always the young people who follow it first. What can we do?'

'Well, they are much like me, Lukas, working all day, sleeping all night, not having fun, pairing off but not sharing love. What did you do to cure me of my reticence?' In the light of the lanterns, Paul looked totally convinced of something, almost enthusiastic.

'I loved you a lot, but that didn't help. When did you start to want to have fun and love, Paul?'

Melissa interjected: 'He wanted love all the time, but exclusive love, and without fear of getting hurt. Jealousy made him come to the point with me, but he learned to have fun at the dance.'

This remark caused Paul's face to light up: 'The polka!

They respect you, Lukas, so they'll come to the party to honour you, and then you can teach them the polka, maybe even make them a teeny bit jealous to shake their love loose.'

'Excellent idea. Musicians first, then fetch the kids, get them to dance, dance with the girls to make the guys a teeny bit jealous, then leave tomorrow and let it stew.'

Decision made, Lukas acted with confidence.

He talked to the musicians, and they tried their best, but the music they played was still very traditional and not suitable for polka's. Lukas looked back at Paul, who thought hard and offered: 'We were going to use a lot of magic, so remember the music and project that for them, either in their heads, or out loud, whatever is manageable.'

After a few moments of hard thinking, Melissa saw Lukas light up a little, and on the faces of the musicians an interesting mixture of feelings became visible.

Understanding and awe were a strange combination in expressions, they didn't mix well, and soon awe won.

The elder musicians bowed before Lukas and kissed his hand, making him very uncomfortable. They mumbled at him in very low, reverent voices, and he said, a bit impatiently: 'Yes, you are right, I sort of became a god, like my father.

My main Gift is healing, so if you have any sick people among you, or very sad people, you can bring them to me. But first, we want to free your children and grandchildren, this music will probably cure them of what is wrong with them.'

He did get a few weird looks, but they knew him, and trusted him, so they tried the music. Three of the lot, an elder man and a younger man and woman got it right after a very short trial and error, and they launched in the infectious polka music of the London party-scene.

Soon, a lot of feet began to tap along with the beat, and Lukas held out his hand to Melissa, spinning her towards him and hopping and skipping for dear life.

It was still incredible fun, and before long Lukas snapped up a villager who was clearly aching to join in. Paul took over with Melissa, and they relished the fast dance, spinning and turning until the starry sky was spinning around.

More couples started, and soon the whole village was dancing the polka, it wasn't a very difficult dance and even the eldest were still able to move remarkably fast. Those hoofs were an advantage over feet, they seemed to keep the legs strong and supple, and of course there was no danger of hurting one's feet.

Within minutes the first curious youngsters appeared, Lukas didn't even have to fetch them, their new way of life was totally against the nature of young people, and as they started to pick up the dance, all strictly with their own partner, Lukas gave them five minutes to get used to the speed and the steps, and then he started to circulate.

He danced with every girl at least once, letting her feel the speed and the spin a top dancer could give his partner, and setting all the boys on fire with envy and the need to dance as well. Melissa took his cue and started to dance with the boys, letting them feel the elation of going at top speed, giving over the lead of the dance as they started to get the hang of it.

Soon, other couples were forming, and some people were sitting down to catch their breath. They were starting to kiss and fondle, and that too, infected the youngsters.

Melissa sat down with Lukas for a breather, and to see the result of their interference, which was profound. Fortunately these kids were still much like teenagers everywhere, eager to have fun and eager to share their love. They saw Paul dancing with a lovely woman, who clearly had intentions with this handsome human stranger.

'Should I save him?' Lukas asked Melissa, worried that she might be hurt if he were to sleep with another woman again, something that was bound to happen if this dance continued. Melissa searched her heart, and replied: 'I don't know. Maybe he needs this before we can settle together. What do you think?'

'I think you and me need to dance again, and we'll make love roughly in a little grove I know just around the corner there,' was Lukas' answer. 'Can you refrain from sharing your love then?' Melissa asked, a bit concernedly, 'If you left me I'd feel lost and lonely. If you stay with me I can bear sharing Paul tonight. I don't want to claim him, you see.'

Lukas kissed her and whispered in her ear: 'They found out I am a god, they will not expect me to share love with anyone but you. You look like a goddess.'


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The polka had done its job, all around them people were pairing off and leaving the party, again, even the elderly. Paul came towards them and asked permission to go with his partner, who clearly thought it very interesting to share love with a human and who thought it supremely weird he'd first want to speak to his friends before leaving with her.

Melissa could give him leave without pain, but she did wonder where this would all lead. Still, Lukas was looking very appealing, with some wine in her blood and the world still spinning slightly. So she didn't think any more and just went through another dance with him until she saw stars and was very giddy, and then she followed him through the pitch dark, to a very dark place, where they hugged for what seemed a long time, feeling the other, smelling the other's sun baked scent, kissing and stroking.

And when Melissa's apprehension had changed into a feeling of security in Lukas' familiar arms, and lust took hold of her, he did indeed make love to her roughly, against a tree, until she was moaning with bliss, Paul forgotten for the moment.

Lukas exerted himself again, until he was totally spent, and then they found their bed, after checking the other for Paul's sleeping shape.

He wasn't there, and they hoped he'd crawl in with them when he was ready to sleep. Melissa found she couldn't sleep without him, so she laid awake until she heard him stumble in the dark, heard him in the other room and waited for him to come to this one, which he fortunately did.

And then she took him in his arms, his own scent overpowering any possible smell of another woman, and she laid in the hollow of his arm and nuzzled his neck and chest. He crawled against her as if in great need, she supposed he felt guilty again.

Suddenly she realized that was the real danger to their marriage, not his sharing love, or her claiming him, it was his guilt after the sharing. It would lower his opinion of himself, and he'd find himself unworthy of her love, letting it go piece by piece, until they had drifted apart without Paul even noticing.

Melissa stretched her neck to reach his face, and she kissed him gently. 'Don't feel bad, beloved,' she whispered, 'love is meant to be celebrated.' He couldn't speak, he just held her very tightly. She asked: 'If it makes you feel this bad, why do you do it? I can't stand to see you unhappy.'

Finally he managed to say something, be it with a choked voice: 'They get so close, and they touch me, it excites my body and they notice, and then I can't back out, it would be a dreadful insult. My body betrays me.'

'I'm so sorry Paul, Lukas did ask me if he should save you, and I didn't know. He seems to think this is good for you, maybe you should talk to him about it. You need to let go of your guilt, love, I'm not blaming you for anything, I love you so much.'

She added, to comfort him: 'Anyway, tomorrow we'll be at Katarina's, and she disapproves of sharing love, so you can stay safely with me.' His grip tightened again, and she stroked his hair, ran her hand through it, giving him tiny kisses.

Slowly he relaxed in her arms, and she brushed his mind. He invited her in, and felt her unconditional love for him, her assurance that he was good enough for her. She could feel him shake in her arms, and now he felt her concern for him.

He did feel unworthy, but his love for her was unabated. Worry and love warred in both of them for a few moments, and then love won. Still holding on tightly to one another they fell asleep.

The next morning Lukas woke them up just after sunrise, and after a hearty breakfast they packed their belongings on the donkey and said their goodbyes. Only a few of the villagers were awake, most were still in bed after a long night of feasting.

One of the people waiting was a middle-aged satyr with a misshapen hoof. He bowed and said: 'They said you were a healer, master Lykos, can you please look at my foot? It hurts, and I cannot stand on it properly anymore.'

Lukas laid a hand on his shoulder in sympathy, then kneeled in front of the man, took his foot and activated his Gift. Inside, he saw a nasty infection, and the wall of the hoof had come loose from the inner part. Just seeing it caused Lukas to wince in sympathy, hoofs were just as sensitive as horns, and this looked bad.

He drained the infection and destroyed the shapes that should not be in a body, hoping to take care of the infection.

When he came back to the now he was not even feeling tired, and he asked for a hoof knife, then saw the man blanch. He stroked the bottom of the hoof, and the man winced at his feather touch, despite trying to control his reaction. 'I will have to sedate this hoof, the wall has come loose from the inside and that hurts like hell, but it needs to be trimmed and held together for a few weeks. Can you think of anything?'

Melissa offered: 'You know what the nerves look like, maybe you can soothe them as you did for Hermes? Shall I come with you?'

Lukas nodded, finding a way to block pain would be very useful, not only now.

Looking a bit apologetic, Paul said: 'In a horse, we'd call that laminitis and we'd shoe it for a few weeks to rest the hoof, or trim it regularly until the bad part has grown out. I know this man is not a horse of course...'

But Lukas said: 'How would you attach a shoe, with nails?' Paul nodded.

'He might not like that, he is very sore. But a sturdy leather shoe might work, and regular trimming. Let's do that. First, sedation.'

As they studied the nerves, Lukas first soothed them as he had done before, but he was a god now, and he thought he should be able to do better now, somehow he didn't have to know exactly how things worked anymore to be able to influence them, he just willed it to be and it happened. So he willed the nerves in the hoof to be quiet for a sevenday.

He felt Melissa's mental shrug at his reasoning, she would always be a scientist, but they went back to the now and tried it.

The man didn't react at all, and now Melissa shook her head. That was not how her world worked.

But, since the knife had arrived, Lukas asked Paul to do the trimming, and he did, very carefully, as he always trimmed Lukas' hoofs.

The patient did not feel a thing, not even when Paul carefully trimmed the hoof in a special shape, designed to temporarily move the balance from the separated part to the whole part.

Lukas bound the hoof tightly and drew a pattern to make a shoe for the hoof to keep it immobile for a few weeks. He said: 'Do not run, do not walk very far, do not work for a week. Then the painkiller will wear off, and you can use the foot with the boot until the part with the separation has grown out. Keep it trimmed short, in this way.'

The patient hugged him tightly and thanked him profusely, and then the whole family did the same. There were no other patients, and they soon left the village behind them.

Lukas had the day's march well-planned, the distance was slightly less than they had managed yesterday, and because they were leaving so early, they would most likely reach a little village in time to spend the hottest part of the day there.

Having seen Katarina's influence on the youths, he really wondered how she had managed that. This village was a day's march away from where she lived, and according to the village elders she had never visited, nor had the children in question ever visited Katarina.

And why would she do it? Lukas could not think of a single use that their behaviour would have for Katarina. It would disturb the community of the village, especially if older people would start to get affected, and of course it had already gotten Hermes into trouble with his family. That was really the only possible benefit, unrest in the whole area.

With these thoughts running circles in his mind, Lukas did not notice that his companions were not as carefree as people on a holiday usually are. Neither of them said much, and they clung to each other for support, each with his own anxious thoughts as sole company.

The landscape didn't offer a lot of relief either, it was much the same as yesterday, endless forest on crumbling limestone, already heating up considerably as the sun rose in the blue sky.

After a few hours walking Lukas halted for half an hour to drink some water and eat a piece of fruit they had been given by the villagers, and finally he seemed to notice that something wasn't right.

'I haven't heard a word out of either of you all morning,' he observed, 'is something amiss?' Still no-one said anything.

His attention was directed inwards for a few heartbeats, and then he replied to his own question: 'There is, you are both anxious, I can feel it clearly.

I knew it, I should have saved you yesterday. I'm sorry Paul. From now on, you two stick together, and I'll do the sharing.'

Now Paul said slowly: 'Lukas, no-one forced me to share love with those women. It was my own choice, my body drove me to do it, and then I felt really guilty afterwards.'

And Melissa added: 'I didn't mind Paul sharing love, but I'm afraid he'll feel unworthy of my love, pulling away from me. And Lukas, don't you want to share love anymore then?'

'Can I spend a few hours contemplating what you've just told me? And I was planning to stop at a village to have lunch and a nap, but maybe we'd better find a nice spot like yesterday? Spend some time together?'

The others nodded in unison: 'We'd prefer that, Lukas, we cannot go from village to village feeling insecure and anxious.'

Trust Melissa to find the right words for how he felt, Paul thought. She was the best woman ever, and if she didn't mind him sharing a little love here and there, maybe he should just do it without feeling guilty, as long as they were on this world. For once they were back in London, he would stay true to her forever.

Beneath the trees the heat was not too bad, though Paul suggested they might want to find him cooler footwear if they came across a village large enough to have a shoemaker. The weight of the boots clearly didn't bother him, he was used to that, and the solid boots protected his feet from the impact of the stones lying about everywhere, but they were just too hot.

Considering Paul's request for a moment, Lukas said: 'I was thinking of entering the next village to buy some food, we can try there, though there are not that many humans living there.

Katarina's village is much larger with many more humans, I guess because it is closer to the coast. And we will stay there for a few days, time enough to have a pair made to size if they don't have yours ready-made, your feet are larger than most local men's.'

Now the landscape finally started to change, there was a distinct dip in the path, and they left the forest abruptly and entered a kind of large bowl, clearly one of those sink-holes, only a really large one this time. There was a lake in the middle of the bowl, and the rest of the space was covered with sedges and grass, with low bushes here and there, and large hummocks with taller grasses on top. The path continued, straight into the bowl, but it was no longer made of clay and rocky debris, but rather of sections of wood, small tree trunks and large branches, cut to length and fitted snugly one against the other, as far as the eyes could see.

Lukas said: 'Take care, this is a swamp, a larger stream empties into this sink-hole and the clay on the bottom and the thick layer of dead grasses prevent it from draining. The soil is waterlogged and very unstable, and there are peaty spots that a person would sink right into. Stick to the path and if something happens, yell immediately.'

He led the donkey down the slope and onto the path made of logs, and it was clear neither of them was comfortable placing their narrow hoofs on the uneven surface of the logs. Melissa noticed that some of the logs were almost rotted through, whilst some seemed virtually fresh.

'Can't they use magic to conserve the wood?' she asked, 'it must be a lot of work to replace those logs.'

With a grin, Lukas replied: 'They probably could, but they'd only slow the process in a hot climate like this. And would you care to pray to Hermes and ask him for power to keep a few logs from rotting? Most people don't have the kind of personal power Paul here has, nor the intimate relationship you have to a god.

If this place wasn't situated in the middle of a forest, they would probably have conserved it as you suggest, but as it is, it is easier to just chop a few trees and cut them into logs right here.'

'I'd still treat as many as my power allowed, then a few the next time. In the end it would pay off, I'm sure,' was Melissa's rather stubborn comment.

Lukas grinned even more cheekily and observed dryly: 'Which is why you are an engineer, and they are herders, I guess.'

That comment got a laugh out of all of them, and Paul said admiringly: 'Melissa would probably construct a bridge over the whole valley, or contrive to drain it to make safe grassland for sheep and cattle.' And seeing Melissa's expression she was contemplating how to do just that.

Halfway down the swamp they heard a distressed voice crying for help, which was startling, for this was not a busy path. The sound came from just ahead, and as they continued the path, they could see a youngster in great panic, pointing at a spot right in the middle of the hummocky part of the swamp, where a long-horned cow was struggling in the mud.

She lowed weakly, and each low was answered by a small chorus of similar lows from an unseen herd.

'Please, help me, my cow is drowning in the swamp, can't you help me? You have feet, you will not sink in the mud as quickly, please master!' the youngster was addressing Paul now, he was clearly the lightest among them with feet. Paul was eyeing the swamp between himself and the cow, clearly recognizing the truth in the boy's statement.

'You're not going to risk your life for a cow, Paul,' Lukas said with authority, 'Melissa is right, this is a land of magic, and magic shall be used.' His face blanked out for a moment and he lighted up, a lot this time, and he asked Paul: 'Do you know how to handle a cow?'

The taller man answered: 'Just like a horse?'

Lukas nearly laughed out loud and said: 'That'll do. All right, go get her.'

And Paul, trusting Lukas with his life, stepped off the path, and took the shortest route towards the poor animal, sinking into the soft ground only a tiny bit. As he neared the animal, it stopped its thrashing, the boy clearly took good care of his animals that it trusted a person even in these dire straits.

Paul managed to take hold of the lead rope, and called in a friendly voice, stepping backwards slowly, indeed as if trying to get a horse to follow him. The unfortunate creature tried to follow, heaving against the sucking mud, but it could not get out by itself.

Now they could see Paul lighting up with magic-use, and with a certain amount of astonishment the three on the path saw the cow rise up out of the mud until it floated just above the surface. Paul pulled the lead rope and the shape of the cow came towards him. Then he coolly walked back to the path, the cow on its own legs now, and not sinking into the mud even the slightest bit, though still rather wild-eyed.

As they reached the path, Paul handed the lead rope to the young man, then dismissed his own bit of magic, and the cow's whole weight rested on her own feet again.

'Thank you so much, master,' the boy whispered in awed amazement, 'thank you for saving my cow. Will you come with me to the village? The elders will want to thank you as well, the other cows are waiting on the path just ahead.'

Melissa could see Lukas dismissing his spell, making the surface soft again, and she told him: 'Don't let him think humans can walk on that, he needs to know you did that or people will die.' But Paul wasn't going to let that happen either, and he said to the boy: 'Lykos here used magic to firm the ground, and I used magic to make your cow much lighter than she really is. It is not something any human can do, they'd drown as quickly as your cow would have.'

'I realize that master, I saw my cow fly for a moment. She doesn't usually do that. Thank you all the same for telling me! I'll be more careful next time.' The boy still looked at Paul with worship in his eyes, apparently magic was not so common after all in this part of Lukas' world, or he just liked the look of Paul.

They made another one of those entrances, with a herd of cows this time, one of which was covered in mud. The boy took the cows to their pen, and returned with an armful of hay for the donkey. Then he told the story of how the stranger saved the cow by walking over mud and letting the cow fly, and he clearly enjoyed telling tales.

It had grown a little bit in this first telling, and it was sure to grow a lot more in the future, as he spread it amongst his friends, and their friends.

Still, it gave the villagers something to talk about, and as all the attention went to Paul, Lukas and Melissa could have a good look around the village and its people without attracting undue notice.

There were no humans in this village, just satyrs, and they seemed to be unaffected by Katarina's affliction, as they had come to call it amongst themselves, as if it were a sickness that people could catch.

But suddenly Lukas remembered that is was only afternoon, anyone taking their work too seriously would still be at it, so he asked one of the villagers whether everyone was present.

'No,' was the answer, 'most of the young people are still out in the fields, they work all day and sleep all night, they never have any fun anymore.'

'How many are there like that, and do they dress differently?' were Lukas' next questions.

'Ten youngsters, including Romano here, our herder, and five married couples with young children,' was the man's reply, and suddenly they realized the herder boy had been wearing trousers.

'We cannot take time to cure them,' Lukas decided, 'we need to get to the root of this problem by talking to Katarina. They will have to try for themselves if the spell can be broken.'

Even as Lukas said this he looked at Melissa and found her returning his stare. A spell! What if Katarina had been enchanted to act as she did?

'Come on,' Lukas said, 'we need to move on, we need to see her. If she is spellbound, breaking it will cure everyone instantly. Won't it?'

Melissa tended to forget that Lukas had as little history with magic as she had, he seemed so comfortable using it. Of course he had had a lot of practice in a short time.

'I don't know, Lukas, but Paul will,' she told him, and they thanked the villager for answering their questions. They called out to Paul, who still had the cattle boy hanging on his very words, and told him they had to leave immediately.

The boy pressed them into staying just for lunch, and they decided they could use the rest and the better food. As they ate, Melissa felt free to check out their young host with sight, and it seemed there was indeed some magic at work. There was a loop somewhere in his brain, and she wanted Lukas to look at it too, so she brushed Lukas' mind and when he let her in, showed him what she had seen.

He reached out for the cheese, and touched the boy instead, activating his Gift immediately. Melissa anchored him to be on the safe side, and that was for the best, for the loop tried to pull Lukas in, and would have succeeded without an anchor.

Lukas' Gift did nothing, this was clearly not a sickness of the brain or a disease, it was a spell put on the young man on purpose. The power was astonishing, it was as if the boy had been bespelled by a god. But when did a god visit a village like this?

Lukas tried to break the bond and barely succeeded. The loop recoiled, probably causing the caster of the spell some discomfort, but of course, he would be far removed from this remote area, and a god would hardly notice one spell broken amongst many still intact.

This case was starting to smell, and now they might have alerted whoever was behind it to their presence. They would have to move, and it would have to be fast.

The breaking of that powerful spell had left Lukas a bit fuzzy, and he had a hard time pretending everything was fine.

But soon the focus came to rest upon the boy, for he shook his head and said: 'I feel a bit weird, I remember doing things I'd never do. What happened?'

He scratched his trousers where they touched the hair on his legs, and quietly removed them, asking: 'Is Yura all right? Where is my wife?'

However interesting it would have been to see how his wife would react to him, and how he would fit into his age-group, they could not linger, they needed to reach Katarina as quickly as possible.

The donkey was loaded once more, and they started on the path towards Katarina's village.

The forest on the other side of the village was different, the pine trees were making room for more leafy trees, shading the path and rendering the forest decidedly cooler than the pine forest they had been walking through the last one and a half days.

'We're nearing the coast, there is a little more moisture in the air and in the soil,' Lukas explained, still we'd do better to rest for a few hours. But I feel rushed, if you feel up to it I'd like to walk as long as we can stand the heat.'

Finding the heat tolerable for now, Melissa, who suffered the most from the pace at which they were travelling and the sweltering heat, observed: 'I can still walk, Lukas, and I agree to go on until I cannot bear the heat anymore, but we do need to spend at least an hour together, to talk about the things we discussed this morning, sharing love, remember?'

Lukas nodded, and replied: 'It will not be long before we have to stop, but I'd like to put some distance between us and the place where I broke that spell. If nothing else happens the caster may ignore it, but we cannot count on that, I must see Katarina as soon as possible.'

'We can give any spies something to watch by working on the necklace, pulling away any notice from the village. I find working metal very restful, even using magic.' That was an excellent idea, it would give Paul inner rest, create a trace for possible watchers to follow, and it would give Melissa the chance to cool down for a while.

'Excellent idea, Paul, but can we go on until you are both tired first?' What was driving Lukas? He had been so relaxed earlier, Melissa decided not to think about it but just walk on until she could walk no longer.

And she turned out to be made of much sterner stuff than they had thought, for she lasted at least two more hours, helped by the cooling properties of this forest, but also by an iron determination not to falter before a likely resting site was found right next to the path.

This time it was not a sink-hole, there must have been a change in the bedrock too, for they came upon a little valley with a tiny stream running in the middle. The banks were lovely and green, there was a lush meadow right beside the path where they could tether the donkey, and it was all just too fortunate to move on.

Melissa crashed in the grass, Lukas unloaded the donkey and tied it to a sapling on the edge of the little meadow. Paul untied and removed his boots once more, then unrolled his collection of tools and materials.

Seeing that Melissa was fast asleep already, the guys decided to use magic one by one, the other filing yesterday's dolphins, to keep an eye on the road and on the rest of their surroundings. But first, Lukas kissed Paul wholeheartedly, to top off his supply of magic power.

'How do I let go of the guilt, Lukas?' Paul asked, as soon as he had his breath back.

Lukas replied: 'You can even allow the guilt, Paul, as long as you don't feel unworthy of Melissa's love. Imagine how you would feel if the situation was reversed, actually you don't need to, you can just remember the time you were still jealous. Did you ever find Melissa unworthy of your love because she shared love with me?'

That caused Paul to protest: 'You cannot compare her situation to mine, she shared only with you, and we both loved you.'

To his shock, Paul saw Lukas shake his head, and he said: 'Actually, I think she didn't really love me until much later, she shared love with me at first to save my life and to make me feel less lonely. She may have loved me, but not as an equal partner, the way you both love me now. She loved you so much more than me, that if the situation were still that way, I would retreat. I couldn't then because I was totally dependent on both of you, and I had not discovered jealousy yet.'

'Lukas, I just cannot believe that,' Paul said softly, unable to believe his ears, 'you're not thinking of leaving us now, are you?'

'I most certainly am not, I have her love now, and I have yours, and I want both so much, I can never let you out of my life willingly.

But though I have found jealousy in myself, I find I am not jealous of your other lovers, and I'm no longer jealous of any other lovers Melissa might take here, for I know that in the end all three of us will always come back together.'

'Well,' Paul said, 'now it is my turn to think about things, and I'll have plenty of time to do it, for there will be no temptations at Katarina's.'

And Lukas smiled at him and they went to work.

Melissa slept for two hours, in which four more dolphins saw the light of day, and yesterday's two imperfect ones were filed and buffed until they were.

'Aren't you even slightly tired with the magic you worked today, Lukas?' Paul asked, as they were stowing away the materials.

'I was incredibly tired,' was his surprising answer, 'but it was mental, not physical, so it didn't hinder my walking, to me walking is no exertion, it is a kind of natural state. My muscles don't tire anymore, so my mind took a long rest whilst my body walked on.'

They woke up Melissa, and talked for another half hour about sharing love and about marriage vows, and Melissa really couldn't find any objections against Paul sharing love, as long as he enjoyed it and didn't feel forced. And she didn't like to stay all alone.

With Lukas still feeling rushed, they quickly loaded the donkey and went on, and after two more hours of walking, in time for an early dinner, they reached the outskirts of the village in which Katarina used to live, called Ephyra.

It was clear from the start that this village was different from the ones in the mountains, for it was not walled. From where they were standing Melissa could see the coast, and what she supposed was the harbour, for there was a concentration of mast sticking up from behind the houses nearest the sea.

Those houses were built very close together, with just tiny alleys between them, whereas the houses closest to them were larger, with sizeable gardens filled with olive trees, patches of well-cared for vegetables, and beautifully coloured flowers, rambling over the white-washed walls and the red tiles.

This was a very picturesque village, every single house looked neat and clean, very well-kept, and the gardens were immaculate, even the out of the way corners, not refuse anywhere, everyting was perfect.

The reason for that perfection soon became clear, they saw people hard at work everywhere, no-one even looked up at their entering the village, and there was not a single uncovered satyr or bare-kneed woman in sight.

Humans were clearly more numerous here than deeper into the countryside, and the size of the village was clear from the number of houses but also from the number of shops.

There was a tang of the sea in the air, and gulls were flying overhead, a logical consequence of being so close to the shore. Of course Lukas knew where his daughter used to live, and they followed him through alleys of neat, white washed houses with freshly starched curtains and perfectly painted shutters, across perfectly paved squares to a large, well-built house with a smithy attached.

As they stood in front of the house, they heard a hammer ringing, and Lukas and Paul were just unstoppable, they virtually ran into the shop, where the sound of the hammer ceased, and Lukas was jumped by a horned shape. There was no sound, but Lukas caught his brother-in-law expertly and they hugged and kissed.

'Lykos, we thought you were dead,' Galan was crying, still holding on to his dear friend, 'Katarina was broken about it. She couldn't sense you anywhere, and she thought that meant you were dead in a ditch somewhere. I can't believe it's really you! What happened to your horns? Were you branded?'

'I chose to have them removed, Galan, I was abducted and managed to flee to a world where our civilisation is just a memory, a footnote in history. There are only humans left, and I had to remove my horns to fit in.'

'Let us find Katarina and then you can introduce us to your friends. I guess one of them must be a smith, like me,' he was looking at Paul, who was gazing around the shop with intense pleasure, breathing in the smell of overheated metal with relish, clearly aching to apply himself to the bellows or the furnace, though it was a rather primitive one.

Galan opened a door in the back of the smithy, and led them through a short hall into a large kitchen. It was a primitive kitchen of course, no running water and certainly no boiler, but it was clearly a room meant for cooking, with a terracotta fireplace.

There were no servants about, and Galan called out: 'Katarina, will you come out? There is someone here to meet you.'

Steps were heard in the room adjacent to the kitchen and a woman came in through an opening in the wall, at a brisk pace. She was not as intensely beautiful as her mother, but her narrow face and longish nose reminded Melissa irresistibly of Lukas, making her much more attractive in her eyes. She was very slim and dressed in a long gown that covered her arms halfway.

As the woman saw Lukas, she cried out and nearly fainted. Lukas caught her expertly, and took her in his arms with tears streaming from his eyes.

She cried heart-rendingly, and clung to Lukas as if she was afraid he'd disappear again. Then she held him at arm's length and took a really good look at him, as if to check if it really was him, then clung to him once more, still crying.

Lukas lifted her easily, and sat down on an easy chair with his daughter in his lap, stroking her hair and rubbing cheeks eagerly. After a few minutes she managed to speak: 'Abba, you live! I couldn't find you anywhere, I knew you had to be dead. I missed you so much, I needed you so much!' Lukas wrapped her in his arms once more, and they did not release one another for a very long time.

She cried out: 'Oh Lykos, what happened? Your beautiful horns, who took them? You weren't branded, were you? You did nothing wrong, I know you can't have, you are too good and too honest. Please tell me what happened.'

And Lukas did, he summarized everything that had happened to him to his daughter, and she hugged him again, and cried again, at what he had suffered. But she also felt his happiness at discovering love that lasted, and something he really liked to do, and finally, his Gift.

Galan had shown Paul and Melissa to chairs of their own, and had fetched drinks and sat down with them. He seemed truly happy to have Lukas back, and the couple didn't seem to be the basis of a disruptive cult at all. This was all very strange and disturbing.

'Katarina, please let me introduce my dearest friends to you. They saved my life, they love me unconditionally and they came with me to find you. This is Melissa, and this is Paul. Melissa, Paul, please meet Katarina, my daughter, and Galan, her husband.'

Of course shaking hands was not a custom here, so both Katarina and Galan embraced their father's loyal friends, and then Lukas came straight to the point. 'Father said you were in great trouble, Katarina, what happened?'

Katarina looked infinitely sad, and started to explain: 'You know I never wanted to share love, or wear normal clothes, but I never told you why.' And with this, she opened the top of her dress, revealing a beautiful pair of breasts, and a chest mottled like Lukas' from top to bottom.

'The spots showed up when I was thirteen. I could never have hidden my true parentage if I had ever taken another lover. I knew Galan would never tell anyone, and I didn't want to endanger you by allowing father to know he's actually my grandfather. How did you know you were my true father, Lykos? Even mother only suspects.'

'I don't know how I knew, Katarina, I also suspected, but when I set foot on this world again I was sure,' was Lukas' answer.

She observed: 'I never felt your return, even though I clearly felt your sudden absence.' She blanked out for a moment and said, understanding dawning on her: 'I see, you have greatly changed, its not just a Gift you got.'

'So, I never shared love and wore concealing clothing, but for the rest Galan and I just made a living quietly, enjoying our life despite not having any children. We moved to this village to help our careers, we needed a harbour nearby to sell our work. Mother never understood.

Then about half a year ago, I think just before your disappearance, someone ordered a lovely copper decanter with extensive ornamentation, which was strange, since that is not really what Galan does, he is more into the heavier stuff, iron mostly.

But he liked the challenge and made a fabulous piece, and the buyer asked to treat us both to a lovely vintage as a reward. We felt strange afterwards, and people started to follow our habits, and deny free love. I have long thought that that man put a spell on me, pulling people in to follow our habits and destroying order in the region.

But I didn't dare let Hermes check me for tampering, for he'd find out about you, and even though I was convinced you were dead, I didn't want your reputation sullied even more. Besides, he was offensive, blaming and threatening me.

The weird thing is, I don't feel any different myself. I still like to work, making fabrics from the basis, starting with raw wool from the local herds and ending up with colourful fabrics.

'Katarina makes the thinnest wool fabric anyone has ever seen,' was Galan's proud comment, 'traders buy every stitch for a good price.'

'I never wanted anyone to work all day and sleep all night! I'd share love too, if I dared. It's unhealthy not to, Galan does it, but it's getting dangerous, for if the cultists find out...' Katarina really didn't seem affected by the sickness or curse herself.

She was just a normal woman trying to make a living. She seemed important in the local community, helping out the poor, and giving people sound advice on how to start a business, buying local produce for her own business. Even if she were not Hermes' daughter, she would be the ideal figure to use to spread a disruptive spell like this one.

Lukas now asked: 'Katarina, may I check your mind for tampering? I have reason to believe a god is involved, and I want to be sure. You are both in grave danger, my father has been threatened by his father and sister to stop the cult, or they would stop it with force. He had to go to the Oracle to find me, whoever did this also tried to rid himself of me permanently. Though I still wonder why he didn't just kill me and dump the body.'

That upset Katarina all over again, and she clung to her father once more. Melissa thought his role as a father suited him very well, she didn't even fear his seriousness, she knew the rakish Lukas would be back once the crisis was over.

She said: 'I know you want to do that straight away, Lukas, but afterwards I want to see your fabrics, Katarina, if you don't mind showing me.'

Of course Katarina didn't mind, in fact she was fascinated by Lykos' two outlandish friends, especially Melissa with her voluptuous size, her pale skin and her copper coloured hair, but also with Paul, a strong, handsome man, very tall and very appealing. He already knew who she was, that she was Lykos' daughter instead of Hermes', when this was over maybe she could share love with him, or with both of them.

She was still in a lot of danger, and it frightened her that a god had known her habit to hide her body from the world and used it to sow discontent amongst her people, but she had great faith in Lykos, he was one of the gods himself and he would set everything to rights.

'Katarina, I am going to tell my father about you, and me,' Lykos said, 'you should not have to live this way to protect me from my own father. Father and I have grown a lot closer the last few months, so I think he will handle it well. And if not, Melissa can soothe him, he has a very weak spot for her.' He had not lost his cheekiness, thank the gods!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Lukas really wanted to check the spell straight away, though Melissa would rather have waited until they had had some sleep. It would be a very powerful spell, to be able to infect people without physical contact, and have the infected people spread it even further.

Still, she could understand his reasoning, as soon as Hermes knew what was going on he could call off the hounds and Katarina and Hermes' people would be safe.

Quietly, Lukas explained how the spell on the herder boy had nearly pulled him in, and that this one would be much stronger since it probably was the original, the others being somehow infected from the one on Katarina. He told her he would need both his friends to anchor him to the now, and Katarina understood perfectly.

This time, Melissa was going to be the anchor, since Paul had much more experience with magic and would be of more help to see what kind of spell was put on Katarina. They linked minds and went in.

Once inside, Paul marvelled again at the talent that enabled Lukas to get such a detailed insight in a person's mind. Katarina had a very organized mind, in total opposition to her grandfather. Of course it was not vast, and she did not remember everything that had ever happened to her in her much shorter life, so there was less information to clutter her mind in the first place, but her memories had been sorted well, and were easily accessed.

Feeling a bit guilty to rummage through someone's mind, Paul nonetheless noted that Katarina really believed what she told them had happened. There was no duplicity in her. They found no tampering in her memories, so they moved on to her feelings.

And there it was, linking her love and her sense of right, a spell that acted as a kind of reversed leach. It fed on her love for her people and her indignity at their treatment at the hands of the gods, specifically Hermes, who was the direct ruler of this realm.

Katarina's sense of right really objected to being seen as a pawn in a game of power between gods, and it made Paul very angry to realize that whoever put this spell on her was enjoying the irony of what he was doing to her hugely, using her precisely as she hated, an unwilling pawn, helpless to prevent the ruin of her beloved country and the gentle, loving people in it.

There was a distinctive mark on the spell, and Paul memorized it and told Lukas to do the same. He knew the gods better than Paul did. It felt masculine, was Lukas' silent comment, and Paul agreed. Lukas felt even more anger than Paul did and felt it personally. Of course Lukas had known Katarina all her life, so it was personal to him in that way, but it seemed to anger him for another reason as well.

The spell was not a loop, it took Katarina's feeling of love for her people and for her work, combined it with her need for privacy of her body and her anger at being used as pawn in the games of the gods, and as a kind of reversed leach, it stuck to people around her and injected them with these feelings. Once it had taken over their minds completely, they would also start to infect the people around them.

The youths in the first village had been in an early stage of the sickness, and even the herder had not been totally taken over, but it would be impossible to free all the infected people who had virtually no will of their own left.

Lukas couldn't do it even with one, and there were villages full of them.

This spell would need a god to remove it, and it couldn't be Hermes because he was not up to a direct confrontation with a rival yet, he would need at least six months of recuperation before he could even try major magics without endangering his life.

And any male god Lukas asked might be the perpetrator, so Paul better finish that necklace soon, for a meeting with Aphrodite was imminent.

Before Paul could warn Lukas not to touch the spell, he had come too close to it. Tendrils flicked out and caught him, pulling him in. Paul was helpless, the surface of the spell was totally smooth once again, and letting himself be pulled in would have no use at all.

His mind still felt Lukas', but it was silenced.

Suddenly a feeling of loss came over him, and he called for Melissa. She would find Lukas, she had found him before!

Melissa was monitoring their progress, but careful not to follow them too deeply, so she kept an eye on the now as well. Katarina was in a trance, Galan was worried but only slightly so, Paul and Lukas were also blanked out.

Suddenly Lukas crumpled, and she felt Paul's alarm, and against common sense she left the now and sought him out. Paul was in a state, Lukas had been sucked into the spell, and could she find him in there? First an anchor.

Within seconds, she had warned Galan to take Lukas' hand firmly as well as one of hers, and then she plunged back in. Paul showed her the spell, then took his usual place as anchor but with their incredibly tight bond and the extra security of Galan holding hands with Melissa, he dared assist her with his greater knowledge.

Melissa looked at the spell with sight, and the whole structure of the thing became clear to her. There was a bridge linking the feelings, and a leach part that sucked everything in blindly, trying to establish a mind-link to inject the spell through.

Lukas had been sucked in, but mindlessly, not as an attempt on his life or mind. He was now clogging the entrance to the leach part, it was not meant to suck things in, it sucked to stick to surfaces, so there was nowhere for Lukas to have gone. He would still be there, and the leach spell would not suck again until he was removed from it.

She approached the mouth of the spell fearlessly, and stuck in her virtual hand. Lukas was shaken, but not wounded, and he took it firmly. Contact re-established, Paul's considerable strength had them both to safety in a second, and straight into the now.

They were all very shaken, and Melissa was drained totally. Galan quickly poured them some wine, and helped them to a comfortable sofa in the adjacent room one by one. Helped by the spirits, they slowly regained their wits, Katarina first.

She assured her anxious husband that she was fine, but that something had happened, and that Lykos had been lost for a short time. Not one of the three was yet able to speak coherently, but Paul managed to whisper: 'We'll be fine in a few moments, maybe some food?'

Galan was off already, bringing hearty, soft foods, like salty olives, tangy oranges, creamy cheese with strong herbs. Katarina handed each of them a choice of foods, and they ate slowly, regaining energy and coherence.

Lukas was the first to recover, and the first thing he did was check his friends. Paul got a quick kiss, transferring a bit of energy to top off his supply. He'd be wanting to play with gold in that smithy later, Lukas just knew it, so he'd need all his power.

And Melissa, she'd gone after him once again, saved his skin, though he would probably have been able to free himself from the leach spell eventually, it was not meant to suck in curious mind-healers and restrain them. But she would have saved him no matter what, and her fatigue was clearly due to overspending power.

So he kissed her too, but much more lingeringly, really putting his heart in it and all the love he felt for her. She tasted of the spicy tomatoes she had been eating. Within a few heartbeats she started to answer his kiss, power filling up the empty spaces inside her. After that, she ate more heartily, and she regained her senses quickly.

When they were done eating, Lukas sat for a few moments gathering his thoughts, then told the couple: 'Katarina, there is a spell in your mind that connects your feelings, your love of your people, your love of thrift, your need to hide your body and your abhorrence of the way gods treat people as pawns, to a second spell, a spell that attaches itself to other people and injects those feelings in them, overruling their minds with feelings of dissatisfaction.

Once they are overruled, the spell starts to infect the people around them, slowly causing dissatisfaction and unrest all over my father's realm.

I don't know why it hasn't taken over your mind, or Galan's, probably to make matters worse for you and thus for father. For I think this is aimed at Hermes, though a lot of effort has been taken to sink me as well.'

It was clear that this pained Lukas, he was used to people liking him, even loving him, and there was even worse to come:

'There was a distinct mark on the spell, and I have a suspicion who placed it on you, probably in person, in disguise of a merchant buying a lovely copper decanter from Galan. He'd appreciate the irony of using you as a pawn in a game of power, and if he found out you're in fact my daughter, he'd like that even more, for he loves practical jokes.

Though I don't have a clue why, I thought we were friends. Good friends. I'm not telling you who it is for I cannot be sure, and I cannot think why he would want to hurt me so badly, but maybe I'm wrong and it is someone else who did this to us.

At any rate, the spell sucked me in as if I were a butterfly on the wings of a storm, I have no chance to remove it. My father can't, for he is damaged by his ordeal on Paul and Melissa's world. He needs a bit of time to heal totally. The signature is male, did you get that too, Paul?' Paul nodded.

'So I propose we contact father, have him arrange Aphrodite to remove the spell, take you, or both of you, on a ship to my father's palace, tell my father the truth about your parentage, have the spell removed, hope to survive the power-struggle that follows.

I think the spell will be lifted from the people once it is broken, but those whose minds were taken over may suffer forgetfulness for some time yet and will need help. I'm afraid that will fall to Ophelie and you two, hopefully with some assistance of my father, who has changed a lot lately. You will find him almost likeable actually.

Paul, Melissa, do you have anything to add?'

Melissa shook her head, glad the problem could be solved, but not happy to get involved with gods.

Paul was shocked at the implication that Dionysus had done this to, well, everyone involved. He knew there was only one god that Lukas knew personally and even loved. Being betrayed by him would hurt Lukas a lot, he was so sensitive to love.

He put an arm around his friend and stroked him gently, saying: 'I'm so sorry, Lykos.' Lukas knew he knew, and leaned in the caresses eagerly, the love Paul gave him making up for his feeling of betrayal just a tiny bit.

Still caressing Lukas, Paul added: 'We have this cute little donkey still waiting for us outside. And I guess I want to ask you permission to use your smithy, Galan. If we are going to ask Aphrodite to help, we'd better finish that necklace, and quickly!'

That put some heart back into Lukas, he loved working the metal and this new challenge of doing it with magic was even better.

He righted himself, kissed Paul to show his appreciation of his love, and said: 'I'd better send a summoning to my father, to let him know what we found out and to tell him what to to. I'll tell him that other tiny detail in person, but you'd better start shortening some dresses, Katarina, and removing some sleeves. Your days of hiding your spots are over!'

And he kissed her as well, and asked: 'Can I do it right here, the summoning? I don't know what to expect of the locals, I must be their biggest enemy, promiscuous, lazy, scantily dressed.'

Now Melissa was struck with an idea that was at the same time ridiculous and plausible: 'What if they love you unconsciously instead? If the spell infecting them with Katarina's feelings accidentally included her deep love for you? They'd adore you without even knowing why. That would be the ultimate irony, Lukas, showing yourself here could make you immensely powerful.'

That was a blow to poor Lukas: 'And here I was thinking all my worshippers loved me for who I am. Oh well, it's for the better anyway. I'm not going to make all these poor bespelled villagers happy and then leave them behind forever.'

Katarina's face fell: 'You're leaving?'

Lukas wrapped her in his arms and said comfortingly: 'I'm sorry Katarina, but yes, as soon as this matter is resolved I'm going back with Melissa and Paul to their world. I never asked to be a god, I prefer a smaller life, crafting metal, healing a few people here and there, spreading a little love amongst the Victorians, helping to raise Paul and Melissa's children.'

'You have children?' Katarina asked, with hunger in her voice. Melissa replied: 'We do not, but Lukas hopes we will have some in the future for him to spoil. On our world, our species won't mix, he will probably not be able to sire his own.'

This set Katarina to thinking: 'We've never been able to have any children, do you think that is due to us being different species?'

'Things work differently here, but it may very well be. Why not let Lykos check both of you, he's a superb healer. And once your secret is out, you can share love wherever you want, it is not too late to have children.'

Half an hour later, Galan had returned from unloading the donkey and taking it to a livery stable a few blocks down. Lukas felt up to a summoning now, so he drew a circle on the tiles with some chalk Galan had fetched from his smithy.

Katarina plundered their collection of herbs to make the circle more powerful, and Lukas stood inside and spoke the words Hermes had told him would activate the link between them.

Within seconds, Hermes appeared before them, greeting his son with warmth, bowing in acknowledgement of Katarina and Galan, and giving Paul and Melissa a warm 'hello' as well. Lukas explained the nature of the spell to him, and the necessity of divine intervention by Aphrodite to remove the spell. 'Will you ask her to meet us at your palace, father? We'll bring Katarina there by ship.'

Hermes contemplated everything he had heard, and he observed: 'It is a risk, involving Aphrodite, but between us we may be able to handle her. I agree with you there is no alternative. Better finish that necklace then, Paul, and hope it will please her.' Paul received his look with confidence and said: 'I think it will, the results so far are very promising.'

Still deep in thought, Hermes decided: 'I will send a ship for you, it will arrive tomorrow, don't hire one, I want you under my protection. Someone is after me through you, and I want the risks reduced as much as possible. I will expect to meet you at my palace the day after tomorrow, Aphrodite will be there if I have any influence on her.

I will tell her immediately that Katarina was tampered with, so I guess the danger from her and my father is more or less a thing of the past. Be easy, enjoy your stay, but stay alert!'

And his image winked out. Lukas cleaned the circle off the floor with a rag he got Galan to hand over to him, his friendly son-in-law had done enough work for them, and they prepared a nice dinner together.

Paul asked: 'Do you know a shoemaker hereabouts? I want to buy a pair of low shoes, preferably open.'

Katarina looked at his high boots, and said, in a tone that caused all of them to look up at her in surprise: 'But they look so good on you, Paul, those high boots, very manly. I guess they must be warm, though. I know a few shoemakers, I'll take you to them after dinner.'

Melissa looked at Paul intently, to see if this worried him. He had looked forward to be safe from women eager to share love with him for a few days, and now he was being hunted by the very person they had all counted on to give him some rest.

She was already so interested, it would be hard to refuse, but Lukas could explain to his daughter, she would understand. Paul looked resigned rather than unwilling, and said: 'Thank you so much for the offer, Katarina.'

Galan certainly didn't seem to mind, he appeared eager for his lady to share her love, he probably considered it healthy, like everyone here.

Well, Melissa didn't mind either, as long as it didn't mean they expected her to join up with Galan, and as long as it didn't hurt Paul as it had before. But she knew that Lukas would not let Paul be taken advantage of, he'd ask him outright whether he objected, determined to protect him if needed.

Of course Paul felt a certain inevitability as Katarina offered him assistance in finding a pair of shoes. He also knew that Lukas could get him out of the situation without giving too much offence, if anyone could understand a difference in customs it must be Katarina.

But she had wanted this for years, and he was the first man ever beside her husband that she could trust with her secret.

That might change when Lukas told his father about his indiscretion with Ophelie, but that didn't change anything now. And she was an attractive woman to him, there was no doubt about that. Melissa smiled at him graciously, leaving the choice to him.

Paul decided to take a little more time to get used to the idea, and leave a possible escape route by including Melissa in the trip to the shoemakers.

He said: 'Katarina, I'm sure Melissa will want to have a look around the village as well, I'd like her to come along. Do you want to come too, Lykos?'

'I'd love to, but Melissa has scared me that the villagers will fall at my feet if I show myself. Still, I really want to come. I want a pair of traditional shoes, for special occasions.'

Melissa understood immediately why Paul wanted her along, and said: 'Do come, Lykos, just wear pants and no-one will even see you. They're too busy working. And if they do recognize you, you can do the bartering.'

She didn't want to set herself up between Paul and Katarina, if Katarina really wanted a piece of Paul, Melissa could understand, after all these years she must be aching to share her love and Paul was a safe man in every respect, married, already into her secret, and destined to be far away from her within weeks.

Rummaging in her backpack Melissa extracted a some silver pieces and some copper pieces she had brought along just for occasions like these. Paul had a similar stash, and Lukas too.

Melissa planned to spend some of it on Katarina's craft, she really liked the few pieces she had seen so far, and she wanted a few pretty things for herself but also for her mother and for Frances. Lukas would do well to get some woollen shirts, they'd look good on him and he could wear them in London, they'd keep him warm when the cold set in.

Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to wear the Greek fashion at home, the difference in style was just too great, and winter would be on them when they came back, but she would find something to please herself.

They set off together, Galan staying in his smithy to finish a project before the guys would return, he'd want to watch of course, but the work had to be done as well.

At the first shop, they didn't have Paul's size, but he could see the types of shoes people wore here. There were sandals, and elegant exotic looking pairs, that one could step into without tying laces. He was looking for something more solid himself, but Lukas saw a small pair he rather liked, and he kept it in mind for further bargaining on their return trip.

The next shop did have a pair in Paul's size, and it was more to his liking. These shoes were low, and had some openings to allow ventilation, but they were rather solid and had laces to tie them on. The soles were sturdy and not too slick, and the insides soft. The price was ridiculously low, he would not be bargaining for this quality work for such a price. He was clearly used to living in a large city.

Paul decided to just buy the shoes, and see what else the other shops had on offer. Though they would probably have to leave the donkey in the livery stable where Galan had taken it, there would be plenty of space on the ship, so they were not exactly limited to the few things they had taken with them.

There was one more shoemaker in the village, and as they were on their way there, they started to notice some hostile glances being directed towards Melissa. She was the only one in their midst who was clearly a foreigner, with her size and colouring, and her dress was a bit revealing for the local taste in clothing.

But since she had always resisted bowing to propriety, and these people were under the influence of a spell, Melissa ignored the looks and just went on without feeling hurt or concerned. They couldn't help feeling prim and stuffy, and she couldn't help being tall and fair.

Katarina said the shop was really close and she was right, it was. This shop had a nicer pair for Lukas, better suited to the fashion and wet streets of London. Lukas didn't barter either, he was also used to London prices by now.

And Melissa found the perfect gift for all her friends, leather wallets, beautiful and very useful, and easy to pack. She bought ten in different sizes and patterns, very pleased to have managed to find suitable gifts so soon in their trip.

When they left the shop there was crowd in front of it, and it was not pretty. They didn't call out, or threaten directly, they just didn't like seeing the leader of their cult consorting with foreigners. Katarina was hurt to see the results of the spell laid on her, the people who were naturally friendly and sweet were now judgemental and hostile.

But they had a diplomat in their midst, used to smoothing ruffled feathers, and Lukas stepped to the front and asked politely to be allowed to pass. A rumour went through the ranks and the hostile feeling lessened palpably. One horned elderly woman stepped forward, and asked in a neutral tone: 'Are you Lykos Hermeides?'

In a clear and ringing voice, Lukas replied: 'Indeed I am, I am visiting my sister Katarina with my friends, a married couple from a land far from here called England, where it snows all winter.'

This caused a stir in the crowd, as Lukas had hoped it would: they were married.

'What happened to your horns,' the woman now asked, 'were you branded?' The crowd felt hostile again.

Lukas showed no sign of shame or fear, and said: 'I was taken from my home by my father's enemy, and escaped through a portal to England. I had to remove my horns and hide my hoofs for my own safety, for their most evil god wears horns and walks on hoofs. I returned to warn my sister that Zeus and Aphrodite are planning to wage war on her and all of you.'

Even to someone in the throes of a potent spell, the threat of war apparently made an impression. The crowd looked almost frightened now, and Lukas lighted up a little, even to normal sight. Was he using a little magic to convince the crowd? Melissa wanted to check, but the situation was still dangerous, she didn't dare become distracted.

'Please don't worry, my father will not let you down. We will help too. All will be well.'

Melissa had never seen Lukas like this, he reminded her of her father as he called Hermes' attention to himself on their wedding, so self-assured, so benign. She switched to sight, she just needed to know, and saw the reason for the glow: pure red power was streaming towards her friend in waves, this crowd did indeed worship him now , and more people were joining it every second.

Lukas was not comfortable with this, he had never asked anyone to worship him, but Melissa didn't dare take his hand to support him. This crowd could still turn on them, they were after all, bespelled.

'What do you want us to do, Lykos?' the same woman as before asked, her voice different.

This was the moment that counted, if he could disperse this crowd all would be well. Lukas stood silently for a few heartbeats, showing no sign of any negative emotion, and at least some of his usual joy in life.

'Thank you so much for your love and trust, you bestow a great honour on me. All out war has been averted already, but all is not yet well. Katarina, my friends, my father Hermes and I will strive to turn the adverse tide the coming days. Please try to be strong, keep us in your hearts and think of us with love and trust. Try to live life as usual, and if we succeed, there will be no need to fight.'

He did not appeal to them to return to their homes, apparently his people did that naturally, they were of course a lot less aggressive than a human crowd.

Some touched him as they passed him by, and he accepted their love with grace, he did not show any sign of discomfort. Lukas was goodness itself, answering questions, touching hands, he even let one or two sceptics feel in his curls to find living stumps, not dead burn-holes.

Melissa hoped there would be children to lift and hug next time. The lack of young ones in the crowd reflected their original purpose so obviously. Still, she felt as if a burden was lifted from her, and of course the rest clearly thought the same.

They walked home at their leisure, it wouldn't do to run for cover, and once they were safely in the house and out of view, Melissa was just in time to catch Lukas in her arms, his face in her bosom and his hands locked around her. She sat down on the same chair where he had held his daughter, and stroked him gently.

He didn't cry or speak, but sought the comfort of their minds joining, and Melissa let him feel what he was to her, a most beloved man, but still a man, not a creature to be looked up to in hope and fear. His overwhelming love for her was the same as ever, but she did find him very confident, which pleased her. A feeling of heat rose in him suddenly, and he looked up from her bosom with fire in his eyes.

Melissa looked around her, seeing Katarina all over Paul, but she decided to check anyway. Brushing Paul's mind with her own she was received eagerly. Paul shared his relief at their escape from the mob with her, and his pride in their beloved friend.

He wanted to give Katarina what she so desperately wanted, and Melissa sent him a memory of her first weeks with Lukas. Sometimes one wanted to give someone what they needed desperately.

An understanding from Paul, and an unspoken question: had Lukas had been right, had her love for him come only later in their relationship?Astonishment from Melissa, they had discussed that? And confirmation, she had loved only Paul at first. Acknowledgement from Paul. She queried: will there be no regrets, no guilt? Then go for it!

Melissa winked her assent to Lukas, and he asked his daughter for a private room, to indulge in some loving assertion.

As soon as Melissa and Lukas were off, Katarina straddled Paul and nuzzled his throat.

'Won't your husband mind?' he asked.

Katarina replied: 'Galan has wanted me to have this for years, he's always been able to share his love, though he did so only rarely to spare me. He will find something else to do, I assure you, and no hard feelings afterwards. We have a deep understanding.'

'We're from a different society, Katarina, our morals closely resemble how things operate here under the influence of the spell. Sharing love is hard for me.'

Katarina was so easy to talk to, though she was seriously touching him by now, and kissing him energetically.

'Don't worry,' she said, 'I know what I want from you.'

They had fire in them, the Greek ladies, he still wasn't used to that. He'd just let her lead then, she had been waiting for this for years. They retreated to her bedroom, and though he still felt a little cheated, finding Katarina an eager huntress instead of the prim lady he expected, she soon made him forget his regrets in her passionate attentions.

In the spare-room, Lukas needed reassurance more than anything, but making love could be very reassuring too. They had undressed, and Melissa laid on top of him and had connect herself to him, with him feeling a bit feeble-minded and eager to follow instructions all of a sudden.

A flash of lust had flared up shortly, feeling her warm, moist depth enveloping him, but it had faded as quickly. And then a feeling of complacency had come over him, feeling her everywhere, her body covering his and her calm presence in his mind. He was very much aware of her, and it was good. She squeezed him a little, inside, and he trust a few times, very lazily, a supremely comforting experience.

The closeness drained some of the itch in his mind away, reducing the feeling that something was terribly wrong, when people were mobbing a small, harmless group, then let themselves be sent home in adoration by the same group.

He was squeezed again, and thrust a few more times in answer, that did feel very good. He was not worthy of veneration, he was just a man like any other. He had done it to save the lives of his friends, yes, and his own, for he was just a man.

A reply to his thoughts came in the shape of a whisper from Melissa: 'You are just a man, Lukas, but there is something to you that inspires worship, so do not blame them overmuch. You are a very good man, and it is very easy to love you. And worship is nothing but love given freely to someone you adore.

So worship me for half an hour, make love to me, and in the coming days you will pay those villagers back manifold for the love they gave you tonight, when you wrestle minds with your father and his sister over their fate, negotiate a certain amount of freedom for them, release them from the stranglehold their god has over them.

For believe me, your father is just a man too, and no more worthy of worship than you are.'

What would he do without this woman? She had no respect for anyone that did not deserve it, so if she said he was not totally unworthy and would earn the worship he got, he had to believe her. He replied: 'I will believe you, and I will make love to you until I drop.'

'Better save a little energy for your crafting, love, that necklace may turn out to be an important factor in our negotiations.' And with that, she reached out and scratched his horns firmly, kissing him at the same time.

Of course his lust took over, and his head was soon cleared of all thought, lost in the urges of his body, and hers, still aware of each other, still connected in mind as well as body.

And when they had both found their release, lying on the bed with their limbs entangled, his thoughts were quiet, and he felt satisfied and at peace. They kissed and hugged a bit more, until Lukas felt ready to face the world again, then they dressed and went back to the kitchen.

Having seen Melissa leave with Lukas had made it easier for Paul to share his love, he had known Lukas would need her to come back to being human, and he had really enjoyed his tryst with Katarina.

They met up with the others in the kitchen, and soon split up in different pairs, Katarina and Melissa going upstairs to view her workshop and the fruits of her art, the men collecting their materials and heading into the smithy to make the last figurines and hopefully use the forge to pull the thread. Paul suspected magic could offer little improvement on the traditional method there.

But first Galan wanted to know what it had been like, sharing love with his lady, and Paul found he could answer with humour and respect. Galan beamed, he must be very sure this was healthy, and Paul vowed that if Melissa would want to share her love whilst they were here, he would be as happy with it as this faithful and skilled man was.

When he unrolled his materials and showed Galan the dolphins, the man was struck with silence for minutes, studying the little shapes with awe. 'You've captured their movement perfectly, they always seem to enjoy themselves so much just swimming.'

Wait a second: 'You know dolphins?' Paul nearly exclaimed.

'Sure, I know a lot of traders, I've been at sea often,' Galan said, 'they like swimming along ships, and sometimes it seems as if they jump to please their spectators. If you applaud, they'll go to ever greater lengths to get your attention. These are just like the real animal, you're a real master. How did you make these?'

'We'll show you, we've used magic to melt the gold away around the figurines, and it works just fine. But can we use your forge to pull the threads for the chain?' Handling the bar of gold with the same nonchalance as Paul, Lukas said: 'I think we'll get two more figurines out of this bar easily, do you want to do one each?'

'You can craft, Lykos?' Galan was totally astonished.

'Paul has taught me, I made two of those,' Lukas said, nudging at the figurines.

Paul replied: 'You start, Lykos, I'll think of how to attach them without ruining the movement.'

As Lukas demonstrated their new method of casting figurines, Paul decided he'd attach a pin to the back of the heads, and make a tiny hole in the tails, and once the pin was through the hole, connecting the head of one dolphin to the tail of the one in front of it, he'd attach a little ball onto the end of the pin to keep everything together and able to move a little.

He pulled a wire out of a lump of leftover gold, using the heat of Galen's forge and his less subtle tools. But when he visualized the connection, he realized a gold pin would be too weak to hold the torsion the connection would be under. The copper of Melissa's necklace was strong enough, maybe he could mix some brass or copper into the gold to strengthen it.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Meanwhile, Melissa was admiring Katarina's workshop, it was a large space on the first floor of the building, and it needed to be large, for it contained not only a large loom, and a spinning wheel, two tools of the trade Melissa knew she would find, but also several vats, probably with dyes, and at least one half of the total space was strung with clotheslines where skeins of thread in all colours imaginable were drying. There was another, smaller, loom as well, and a large table with fabrics and half-finished products all over it.

In the back was a section with finished products, and they were simply beautiful. Of course Melissa wore woollen dresses and suits in winter, but this was a different quality, the colours were much more vivid, and the cloth was so thin, it was truly wearable in summer.

'How do you manage to spin and weave so delicately, Katarina?' Melissa asked, stunned by everything she saw.

Katarina smiled broadly, the resemblance to Lukas unmistakable for a few seconds, and she replied: 'Why, with magic of course. I use magic to keep the thread from breaking when I pull it more and more, and I do the same when weaving. Then when the product is finished, I remove the spell, for the threads in a fabric will support one another, making the total a lot stronger.'

That was so simple, and Melissa decided to tell Ilsa, she was in charge of a wool-factory these days, and the might be able to use magic secretly to improve the quality of her woollen fabric.

'Where I live, there is a hall more than ten times your workshop, and the looms operate with the power of steam, producing cloth all day without anyone weaving,' Melissa told Katarina, but the poor woman just couldn't believe that.

'But who pulls the filling through the warp threads, and makes sure the pressure is just right?' she asked.

'The machine does,' was all Melissa could think of, 'but the cloth is not as soft and as beautiful as yours is, there is just a lot more of it. There are a lot more people in the city than here.'

'I'd like to see that, though I probably prefer to spend more time and make the fabric beautiful,' was Katarina's consideration.

Melissa could not but agree: 'It is much better the way you make it. We seem to have forgotten to take time to make things beautiful, though Paul hasn't. He makes everything beautiful. But his clients are rich, the rich can still afford beautiful things.

Has he shown you the dolphins?'

'He has not, did he make dolphins? Like those horses you are wearing, did he make those? They really seem to move, it's incredible that a man could make that, it looks like magic. I like the copper, though most women would prefer gold.'

'The dolphins are gold, they are meant for Aphrodite, a commission from Hermes. One cannot give a goddess copper after all.'

Katarina's expression became serious now, and she said: 'I've never met Aphrodite, but Lykos told me about her sometimes, and please Melissa, watch your man around her. She uses mortal men as toys, and she likes artistic men very much. The gods have no value at all for our lives.'

Her whole heart was in this, Melissa could see that. And she was certainly going to heed Katarina, and try to keep Paul away from the fickle gods.

Katarina went on: 'You stand out, and you are very beautiful in a very exotic way, that may serve you well and give you respect from her, or that may turn her against you if it makes her jealous. Watch yourselves, and let Lykos handle things. He has a way with everyone, well, you know him as well as I do. Trust him, he's a diplomat and very good at it.'

'I will heed your advice,' Melissa said, 'we all want to have this problem solved, but we also want to return to London safely. Do you mind if I warn Paul as well?'

Relieved that the younger woman believed her, Katarina said: 'Please do, he was very nice to me and I can see you truly love one another. And you both love Lykos so much. He seems so much happier with you, he even allowed his Gift and his godhood in his life.'

That was a weird way of putting things, and Melissa decided not to ask what Katarina meant with it. Instead, she turned her attention back to the beautiful fabrics.

She wanted one of the dresses, it had been love at first sight for her, and it even fit her perfectly despite her size. It was not green, her favourite colour, but a very deep blue, bordering on purple, and it was a bit short but not out of proportion.

The problem was not that it was too revealing, it was made following the current fashion in this village, with an acceptable cleavage, longer sleeves and a closed back. It was just not following the London rules of fashion of that moment, but then, neither were suits and corsets with a long skirt. She really wanted that dress.

In the city, she would not be able to afford such workmanship, but here in a village in a totally different age, she could. She decided to just buy it, she could wear it here, or on the estate of the Nomes', and who knows, maybe she'd dare wear it in the city after all.

Besides the dress, Melissa bought a few large scarves made out of the flimsiest woollen fabric she'd ever seen or felt, gorgeously coloured, one even had the exact colour of her hair! They would not take up much space in her backpack, and they would be lovely and warm in winter, and very suitable to give away as presents.

Katarina had tunics and shirts as well, and especially Lukas would do well to check them out, Paul was used to winters in London, he'd have suitable clothes, the thought of Paul in a knitted woollen jumper made her warm inside, but Lukas preferred a more elegant style, and Katarina's wool would keep him warm in a very fashionable way.

Having paid for her treasures, she carefully stowed them away in her backpack, and went to the smithy with Katarina. The men had finished one dolphin each, completing the set needed to make the necklace.

And Paul had experimented with attachments, trading a tiny lump of gold for a slightly larger amount of copper from Galan's stores, melting it together with another tiny lump of gold, and pulling new thread from the resulting alloy. This was still gold to the layman's eye, but it was much stronger than gold, and Paul had welded the pins to the dolphins' heads with magic and fastened a little ball to the end of each pin, after he had attached the tail of the next dolphin to the pin of course.

The result was exactly as he had imagined, and the connections would hold.

They put away the materials and the gold with care, and took it with them to the spare room, then cleaned up a little at the wash-stand. This world could really use some modern conveniences, but then, most of London didn't have those either.

Finding comfort in each other's presence in the slightly smallish bed, they soon fell asleep, tired with a lot of magic-use and the memory of the dangerous situation with the village mob.

The next morning, Lukas woke Melissa to tell her he was going for his morning run, he needed to empty his mind for some time and running was the best way. He'd also take a good look around, crossing the harbour to see what kind of ships there were, reminding himself of the village and the surroundings.

'Won't you be in danger, love?' she asked him, and he replied: 'I can outrun even the fastest of my own kind, they'd have to use a net or a trap to catch me. But they will not try, I'm a god now and the people here respect gods, bespelled as they are.'

They kissed, and he was off.

As usual, Melissa snuggled against Paul for an extra hour of sleep, putting an arm and a leg around him to be as close to him as she could. To her surprise, he turned around in her arms until he was facing her, and he kissed her, his large, capable hands stroking her.

Against his habit, he was wide awake, this early in the morning, and he must have slept well for he was in an excellent mood. 'When all's said and done, you're still the most beautiful and most loveable woman in either world,' he said, 'I'm so fortunate that you choose to love me.'

He was beautiful himself, brown curls highlighted by the Greek sun, his young face tanned but his eyes still a startling, piercing grey, a rough beard waiting for time and the right facilities to be shaved.

Instead of sleeping for another hour, they behaved like any couple on a holiday in a warm, beautiful country, gazing in the other's eyes, caressing each other gently, kissing a lot. Of course their caresses led to making love, slowly and lazily, as they usually did.

'Do you miss your work?' Paul asked, as they were lying on the bed afterwards.

Melissa thought for a while, then replied: 'Not yet, no. I haven't really had the time, there was so much to see and talk about, so much to do. When I look at a building I look at it differently, and seeing that swamp I did contemplate how to drain it or how to build a better road through it, but not in a serious way. Not as you two are expanding your abilities now, with a very important customer to please.'

'Do you miss the house?'

She had to admit: 'I do miss the conveniences, strangely enough especially the bicycles and the roads. Walking in this heat is too tiring for someone of my size, I didn't really get to enjoy the trip through the country.'

'You'll love going by ship, they'll probably hug the coast so there will be plenty to see, and the sea breeze will keep us cool,' Paul said, 'but don't forget the sun-block spell, or you'll burn alive on the water.'

'Do you think it is dangerous on the water?' she asked him.

His reply echoed her thoughts: 'I cannot think of a danger that we will not be able to handle together, pirates cannot really hurt us if we can use magic openly. I tend to worry more about the next step, Hermes seems to be a beacon of stability compared to the reputation of the other gods. To be honest, I fear for you, you are so beautiful I'm afraid Aphrodite will be jealous of you.'

'And I fear for you, beloved, Katarina warned me to keep you away from Aphrodite as much as possible, she seemed to think you might be taken against your will.' The fear on Melissa's face was real, and Paul wanted to say something encouraging, but the fact of the matter was, that Hermes' comments had him just as afraid of Aphrodite.

So he just embraced her and kissed her, making the most of their time together and hoping for the best. The necklace could not but please even the most demanding goddess, it was turning out so well.

And Paul was convinced that Hermes was now on his side, and that Lukas was stronger than they imagined, neither of them had an idea of the strength inside the frail looking young man, but a crisis would certainly bring it out, as the mob yesterday had.

Melissa changed the subject, and said: 'You should ask Katarina for a tour of her workshop, she makes the most beautiful things, and I think both you and Lukas would benefit from her work, she had lovely shirts and tunics that you could use in winter.'

'I'll look like a Greek next, with my new shoes and a Greek tunic. That will help me to fade into the background more, those linen shirts may make me stand out. I'll shave, most Greek men seem to be clean-shaven. No ruggedly handsome foreigner, just another local craftsman. Though next to you, everyone fades into the background.'

He was so much in love with her, thought Melissa, preferring her over all those Greek beauties, but then, she felt the same about him. Sharing his love had not done their marriage any disfavours so far, but she had to admit that was also due to them having been warned and taking extra trouble to communicate their feelings.

But there would be bigger challenges ahead, for so far they had been in rather remote and unsophisticated areas, but tomorrow they would arrive in Hermes' palace, where the women would undoubtedly be more beautiful, better dressed, and very forward.

And Paul wouldn't be the foreigner tagging along with Lykos, but a superb artist presenting his masterpiece to a goddess. For there was no doubt in Melissa's mind that this necklace was his best work so far, not excluding her own little horses.

When Lukas returned they talked of what he had seen in the village and the harbour. He had not been waylaid by anyone, nor had anyone spent much attention on him as he ran by, so his mood was as good as Paul's.

There were few ships in the harbour, and none of them looked fast enough to give them any trouble once they were at sea. But this was a world of magic, and anyone with the slightest Gift could spread news far and wide relatively easily, so that didn't mean they were out of danger.

They had breakfast with Katarina and Galan, the latter had already checked on the donkey, and done a share of his day's work so the men could work on the necklace, at least the parts that needed a forge or a solid table.

After breakfast Melissa practically forced the guys to go with Katarina and explore her workshop, and she got them to try out several shirts and even a tunic. Both felt the difference with linen immediately, and Paul bought himself a sand-coloured shirt and an unbleached tunic.

Lukas had an easier fit of course, and he got four shirts in brighter colours, and also a tunic, he wanted a bland colour but Katarina said: 'You're a god now, Lykos, and you need to dress the part. This is more suitable.' And she rummaged through a large wooden chest and came up with a very light tunic of deep wine red, trimmed with gold. She used his belt to arrange it nicely, and showed him the result in a real mirror.

Where did they get such a lovely mirror? In England they had become available only recently!

Katarina told them: 'Magic of course, the glass becomes purer, and the silver is spread thinner and more evenly.' They might have known.

Lukas reluctantly agreed that he really did need an extremely well-made outfit, to present himself well in the negotiations, so he added this tunic to his total. And then both Paul and him were off to try and finish the necklace.

And then Melissa missed her work for the first time during this trip. Katarina needed to finish a dress and a set of pillows before she left with them, and Galan was fascinated by the new techniques that Paul and Lukas were inventing as they worked.

Galan did have a Gift, so he watched them carefully, to experiment on his own once everything was back to normal. Lukas urged him to try and allow Hermes into their lives, having close connections to a god would make the use of magic a lot easier.

Soon, the figurines were all linked in the right order, and Paul held it in front of Melissa to show the effect. It was stunning, the little creatures travelled around her throat, not in a straight line, but swimming across her chest, leaping in and out of the water, then leaping high on the left side, turning towards the right until the nose was down on the other side of the fastener, then diving back into the water nose down and swimming across her chest once more.

They were all silent for some time, experiencing the movement in the elegant creatures for a few rounds.

Then Galan broke the silence and said: 'It's stunning, but somehow copper looks better on you, Melissa.' They all agreed, and Paul promised: 'I'll make you a copper one with the horses frisking and leaping, my love. As soon as we're back in London.'

Melissa wanted to see the effect too, and Paul held the necklace in front of Lukas, dropping her jaw as well. 'I didn't know anyone could do that, love, make metal move. It looks like magic. This is good enough for any goddess, I'm sure.'

Since it was made of gold, they made the fastener especially secure, then showed the necklace to Katarina and put it away safely, along with the excess gold.

Then they had lunch and Lukas ran to the harbour and back to see if a ship had arrived, not expecting to meet anybody on his way since the heat was killing. Even after living in cool London for months, he could stand the heat like nobody else.

When he came back he had a belt with him that fit the tunic perfectly, he had seen it in the first shop they visited yesterday and left it as being too ornate, but if he was going to really present himself he saw a use for it after all.

Melissa thought his tiny bit of vanity was just so cute, and she kissed him heartily, leaving him wondering what he had done to deserve that sudden affection.

Meanwhile, Katarina and Galan had a difficult choice to make: would they both go, or would Galan stay at home to guard their property. Galan feared repercussions to their home once the villagers were freed from the spell, which was all the more reason for Katarina to want him along, there was no way he would be able to stop a mob anyway, and he might get hurt.

Katarina was very afraid of having to submit to Aphrodite, and she dearly wanted her trusted husband along to make her feel slightly safe, and to share her anxiety with. She also feared he would be hurt if he stayed behind, and she'd rather lose the house and all of her possessions than the man she loved.

Finding her wish for him to accompany her so strong, Galan packed a bag with essentials and started to secure the house against a veritable disaster, shuttering the windows and packing away all his tools in his stove, to protect them from fire. Lukas and Paul helped him, keeping an eye on the streets around the house for messengers from Hermes' ship.

And no sooner had they prepared everything than one such arrived at the house, a human boy of about fifteen, long black hair in a tail, tanned face with the beginnings of a beard, worn clothes of a once sturdy quality.

He faced Lukas fearlessly and said with a certain respect: 'Master Lykos, your ship is waiting for you in the harbour. The captain says, if you're on board within the hour we can sail before the tide turns.'

Lukas looked at him with the same amount of respect, and replied: 'Thank you. We are ready to leave well within half an hour, will you wait for us? May I ask your name, lad?'

'It's Feodor, master, and my captain ordered me to lead you to the ship in safety.'

Galan went inside to let the ladies know, then fetched the luggage outside and asked the boy: 'Will your captain allow a donkey on board, Feodor?'

'I'm afraid he will not, master, and he never makes exceptions, not even for master Hermes.'

'In that case, we'd better leave the poor creature in the stables, or have it sent back to Ophelie,' Lykos said, 'can you pay the stable up front, Galan? Here's some silver for its maintenance.'

Since it was not very far to the harbour, they managed just fine with the help of Feodor, who carried his share of the luggage.

As they boarded the ship, Paul was surprised to see that it had oarsmen as well as a mast and sail. The ship was rather large and looked quite warlike, though the rump seemed large enough to hold cargo as well.

The captain was waiting for them on board the ship and greeted Lykos first, almost humbly. Lukas was very nice to him, which of course had an immediate effect on the captain and the crew, and as he introduced everyone to the captain they all got a warm reception.

The luggage was taken inside the ship, and they got a short tour, as the tide was about to turn and they needed to leave as soon as possible. The captain had to help his crew to guide the ship out of the harbour, but he asked Feodor to explain the rules of the ship, and the boy did so with great enthusiasm. He clearly loved sailing.

They left the harbour very quickly, the oarsmen propelled the ship very adequately, though Paul wondered why they didn't just sail, there was plenty of wind. When he asked Feodor, the boy started to laugh, and said: 'But master, the wind is dead against us, how could we sail the right way?' Suddenly Paul realized they hadn't invented tacking yet, and the implications of that invention of the human mind were obvious, since it saved on at least thirty or forty labourers, though these were clearly slaves, not free men.

The idea of slavery was offensive to Paul, and he had to restrain himself to keep his quiet. Lukas clearly came from a region where slavery was not very common, but as they neared civilisation they'd see more and more of it. Better warn Melissa, and maybe Lukas to keep Katarina from causing trouble.

He asked Feodor: 'Don't you use magic to propel the ship?'

'Oh no master, we dare not, magic use at sea offends Poseidon, and of course master Hermes wants to stay in his good graces.'

This was not getting any easier. Paul was glad they had such a large ship, for he had no other ways to defend himself but magic.

Soon they were clear of the harbour, and the sails were unfurled and caught a nice breeze. They all sat on the aft deck, where Feodor had told them they would not be in the way of the crew, watching the waves, the birds flying along and the coast not so far in the distance on their one side. Suddenly, someone cried out in wonder.

It was Feodor, who took his orders very seriously and tried to keep them informed and entertained constantly. He pointed just in front of the ship, where five or six elegant shapes were swimming fast, keeping ahead of the ship easily. Their shapes were visible below the surface of the crystal clear waters, their strong tails propelling them, and then they leaped over the water and entered it again, not losing speed for even a moment.

Watching their elated movement, Paul had a hard time keeping his pride down, for it was very clear that his necklace mimicked their movement perfectly. The quality of the sketches must have had something to do with that, but Paul allowed himself a lot of credit as well. Apparently he had a certain aptitude for this.

Feodor now said: 'Master Lykos, a great honour is bestowed upon you, for these dolphins are the friends of mistress Aphrodite, and she has sent them to guide you and protect you.'

Or to spy on us, Paul thought, thinking of Hermes' story, but nonetheless he was grateful that the boy thought they were a good omen, and he was very, very pleased to have seen them alive, no matter what happened.

His companions were all staring at Paul in wonder, and for once he accepted the admiration as it was offered, for this time, he felt he deserved it.

'I can't believe it myself,' he breathed, 'to have never seen one alive, and then get it just right. I must truly be an artist!'

'You are the best, master,' Lukas said, and no-one contested that term of honour, though Feodor did raise an eyebrow at hearing a master call someone master. Had the necklace been made of copper or even silver, Paul would have loved to show it to the boy, but on a ship filled with hard-bitten seamen it seemed wiser to him to keep invaluable amounts of gold well-hidden.

It was as if the dolphins begrudged Paul the attention, for they moved a little away from the ship and started a veritable acrobatics show. They performed stunning leaps, with twists, screws, turns and flips. They worked together to get even more applause, and swam beside the bow to look their audience in the eye.

They had really cute faces indeed, they seemed to smile benignly, and then they were off again, swimming just ahead of the ship, tireless and still enjoying themselves hugely just swimming. Feodor was mesmerized, and he spoke in a reverent voice: 'I have never seen them perform together, it must really be the mistress' escort.'

With such a show, and the coastal area still quite easy to see because they were so close to it, time flew, and Paul couldn't remember feeling so relaxed and truly on a holiday during this trip so far. Instead of dreading to meet Aphrodite, he was now looking forward to seeing her face when she received the necklace, from Hermes' hands, not his, for he didn't want to pay for one moment of triumph with years of slavery.

They were even served a small, light meal of cheese, fruit and salted nuts and olives, with a lovely sparkling wine to go with it, and they all helped themselves heartily, even Feodor, who said he shouldn't, but was pressed to join them for his efforts to answer all their questions.

All too soon, they saw a large palace rise on a cliff against the blue sky, and it was a marvel to behold. It was white, and the roof seemed made of gold, which was ludicrous, but still it certainly seemed to be.

They approached it at great speed, and soon the sail was furled and the oarsmen started to row again to the beat of a small drum in the hold of the ship. The speed levelled quickly, and Paul tried not to think of the fate of those oarsmen. He had conquered some adversity to become what he wanted to be, but he had started out at the top.

What if he had started out on the bottom, where these slaves undoubtedly were? Would he have succeeded? He knew London had its own bottom, the factory workers among them, he had seen the rejected children and where they had lived for years, in the cold of winter, without food. But they had been free, hadn't they? Mind reeling, he tried not to think about it anymore, by asking Lukas questions about the palace in front of them.

Raised in a noble family, Paul was used to wealth, and having met Hermes in conditions that one might inoffensively call delicate, he was not prepared to find the god living in such opulence. He had greatly underestimated the power Hermes wielded on this world, and seeing this palace made that abundantly clear to him.

Still, he had left wealth and power behind, and he was not going to be overly impressed by it now. He still had a promise standing between Hermes and himself to explain the concept of delegating to him, and he was sure that Hermes would be suitably impressed with the work Paul had done for him on the necklace.

Suddenly he remembered that there were people in their midst who might have more trouble ignoring the opulence of the palace and the obvious power of Hermes, and he prepared to have to quiet Melissa again, and maybe Katarina and Galan as well.

But neither seemed very much impressed, he suspected Katarina and Galan of being advocates for equal rights, and they would not allow themselves to be overpowered by mere wealth. And Melissa had been underwhelmed by Hermes as much as he was, or maybe she was used to opulence by now.

In fact, Melissa was very much impressed by the palace, but the trip with its beautiful views and dolphin show had brought her in a holiday mood, and somehow this huge hotel was a natural result. She ignored the fact that it belonged to a god, but merely thought of the owners of the glass house, or Paul's parents' place. This is what they would live in in ancient Greece.

She enjoyed not having to carry her own luggage ashore, and she enjoyed the politeness of the captain, increased manifold by the tribute of the dolphins to his passengers.

Melissa even enjoyed the sight of Hermes eagerly awaiting them on the wooden dock in the bay in front of his palace. The bay was lovely, they would be able to swim whilst staying here, and she couldn't wait to explore the building, the building style was different from the other structures she had seen so far.

The ship was secured to the dock, and she left it with a slight feeling of regret. It had been very enjoyable, and she hoped their business here would be finished soon and successfully, so they could enjoy their holiday even more.

Hermes embraced his son first of all, he was clearly sincerely happy to see Lukas. Melissa looked at Katarina's reaction, and Katarina saw it too, and appeared to believe it was genuine.

He approached Katarina next, and offered her a tentative embrace too, which she accepted without reserve. Galan was embraced too, and showed no objection either.

Leaving her for last, Hermes shook hands with Paul, a weird sight until she remembered Hermes had been staying in England for nearly three weeks, he'd know the common manners that Paul was used to.

Paul said: 'It's finished.' That brought out a broad smile on Hermes' face, emphasizing his resemblance to Lukas, and ending in an embrace for Paul too.

But despite Hermes' newly found attachment to Ophelie, Melissa got the distinct impression that he had kept the real affection for his greeting of herself.

He invited her in his arms, and when she graciously allowed him to hold her, he gripped her rather tightly and nuzzled first her hair, and then her neck, holding on to her longer than to any of the others.

When he looked at her, his eyes had that gaze again, that hunger she had not seen in them since he had gone through the Portal. He was still aching for her, but she found it no longer bothered her, actually she found herself considering to share love with him.

Would it be so bad, if he wanted it so very much? Paul had indulged Katarina, she suspected he'd understand. Ophelie expected it of her husband.

And Lukas? He had asked her not to do it, but that was some time ago, under very different circumstances. Still, he hadn't shared his love once since their arrival here, and she decided to watch and wait. Not sharing love might even be unhealthy for Lukas, she'd have to discuss that with Paul, and see what they could do to encourage him.

Her absence of mind tempted Hermes to take her hand and lead her down the dock to the rocky shore, and to his surprise and delight she allowed him to hold it. She saw his boyish joy at holding her hand, and it reminded her of Lukas once again.

Once ashore he let go of her hand, and took the lead towards the house. The rocky cliff was intensely hot, and Melissa wilted in the stifling air. Paul assisted her and whispered in her ear: 'He's still mad about you, beloved, maybe you should indulge him whilst we're still here, if it's not unpalatable to you.'

She replied: 'I was just considering it, allow him to move on, point is I promised Lukas I wouldn't.' That got a reaction from Paul: 'The master of love asked you not to do his dad?'

'Yes he did, the night after we left the manor in a hurry, remember? But Lukas was different then, needy, and he is no longer. And I'd be indulging Hermes, for I have no feelings for him anymore besides a general liking. Do you think Lukas should share? He hasn't since coming here.'

'Well he did promise you not to leave you alone, and I got kidnapped all the time, so he didn't have much opportunity.'

She mused: 'True, well, let's see what happens here, just keep me posted on what you want.'

That was a decidedly weird conversation, and she hoped everything would return to normal once they were back in London. Sharing love might be fine in this sweltering heat, but in winter she'd prefer to stick to her own familiar hunk.

The rooms they were shown to were large and gorgeous. Lukas declined his own room, he preferred to have his things in the same room with Paul and Melissa. Katarina of course shared a room with her husband.

Since they would have to wait for Aphrodite anyway, they decided to have a chat first with some cool drinks on the side, then nap.

Their host invited them to a shady terrace behind the house, and they quickly refreshed themselves, Paul collected the roll with the necklace, the tools and the leftover gold, and they followed Hermes to a small, private corner with the rocky walls overgrown with a blooming vine, and comfortable chairs around a single large table.

'Can I show it on you?' Paul asked Melissa, and she nodded, planning to keep an eye on Lukas whilst Hermes would undoubtedly look at her in a certain way and praise not only the beauty of the necklace.

And she was not wrong, for when Paul had fastened his masterpiece around her throat and drew Hermes' attention to the finished work, at first the god did not have eyes for the exquisite work of art, but just for the total picture of a beautiful young woman with a glittering piece of jewellery around her shapely throat.

She saw a glimmer of a hopeless look make way for open mouthed astonishment on Hermes' face as he finally saw the necklace for what it was, but then she forced herself to look at Lukas instead, and he showed only appreciation and pride, no displeasure or even jealousy.

She had another chance when Hermes wanted to hold the necklace in his hands, and Paul encouraged him to loosen it himself.

His hands approached her very slowly, was it reverently? And she felt them fumbling with the fastening. He had to come really close to her to look at it first, before he got the idea how to free it, and Melissa could feel Hermes' breath on her skin and his scent in her nose. It was still very pleasant.

And Lukas didn't show any negative feeling.

When Hermes had freed the necklace he took it to the table and studied it in detail, and Melissa just had to know. She went to Lukas and observed: 'Love, I have a feeling your father is still rather taken with me. Did you notice?'

He nodded, and replied: 'He hid it better at the villa, it was part of what we fought about.'

'You mind then?' she asked him.

'Not so much his wanting you so badly, more his usual habit of bending women to his will, I was afraid he'd do that to you. But he denied that, told me he couldn't help loving you but realized that bending you to his will would break you, hand him just an empty husk. He loves your intelligence and independence too.'

Melissa now stroked his cheek and was amazed how different he had become, again. She loved him so much, she wanted to kiss that dent in his lip, and she did. And then she boldly asked: 'Love, I'm thinking of indulging him, sharing my love with him. He wants it so much, and I find I really don't mind anymore. But you asked me not to, and if you still don't want me to, I will not.'

He certainly was amazed by her statement, but not sad, or angry. 'What does Paul say?'

'You won't believe me, but he suggested it just after I thought of it myself.'

Lukas was silent for some time, and Melissa used that time to study him, to see what had changed so much.

He still looked like a twenty year old boy, his face was the same, his body was the same. When he looked at her she could see the intensity of his love for her, that hadn't changed.

'It's the responsibility, beloved,' he said, before she had even asked anything. 'You wondered what had changed about me, didn't you?'

'I did. I couldn't put my finger on it. Are you unhappy, Lukas? You don't share love anymore, you seem to resent people worshipping you. If you want me to stay away from your father I will, I love you and I would do almost anything for you.'

He took her in his arms, held her tightly, to comfort himself mostly, but he did not lay his head in her bosom but kissed her tenderly, stroked her hair.

'I want to lie on our sofa again, and untie your corset, having your breasts fall in my face, trying to control ourselves to not wake Paul. I want to be responsible for us, not for all these people I don't even know.

But the freedom to go back to that is just a few hours away, and no, it does not make me unhappy, just a bit distracted and serious. But that will pass, and I'll be impulsive again, and horse around with you two.'

The memory of doing just that clearly pleased him, and he continued: 'And I'll share my love again, as soon as I meet someone whom I want to share it with, for so far there were only daughters and step-mothers around.

And you, and I love to share my love with you most of all, so that is what I did.'

Thinking of the last few days, she had to agree with him, and she said so.

Lukas came to a decision: 'And you know what? I don't mind the idea of you sharing love with my father anymore. He wants it badly indeed, and he is actually kind of nice, I think he will take better care of his people from now on, and of my step-mother. Maybe if you give him what he wants, he'll move on. But I'm convinced now he will not take you or bend you, so if you can find it in you to give him what he aches for, you have my blessing.'

Hearing himself say that, he whispered urgently: 'Please forget I said that. I don't want worshippers but that means I can't go around dealing out blessings either. Just love me more than him, please?'

He was so sweet. 'How could I not love you more than anyone except Paul? Maybe it will not even happen. I'm glad you are not unhappy, and I long for our uncomplicated life, too. Just work a little, and play a lot. Let people like Tristan rule the world and bear the burden.'

And with a last kiss they went back to the others and were just in time to see Hermes kiss Paul and thank him for his masterpiece. 'This will be such a help to get Aphrodite on our side. Please tell me, how can I repay you for all the work you have put into this?'

'It was a pleasure to make it, Hermes, that was payment enough. It is in our interest too that Aphrodite is in a good mood.' It was clear Paul really meant that, and Hermes accepted it with grace.

'Will you do me the favour of keeping any leftover gold, then?'

Paul considered that for a moment, then thought of the roof, and said: 'I will, and thank you.'

Lukas observed: 'Did they tell you already that your sister sent a pod of dolphins along with us? They entertained us and showed us exactly how much of a genius Paul here really is.'

'She sent her dolphins? I guess that is a good sign, or they would have patrolled, but these entertained you?'

Lukas nodded.

'Maybe it will all turn out for the best yet. We can certainly hope so. Do you want a nap before dinner?

Everyone did, and they retreated to their rooms for a bit of rest, until servants came by their room to tell that Aphrodite had arrived.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

They helped Lukas into his new tunic and belt, and he wore no trousers, as befitted a satyr. Paul and Melissa dressed in their usual linen, the little copper horses running their usual circles around her throat. Hermes had taken the gold necklace with him, to get it suitably gift-wrapped, and anyway, they had decided to try to keep Paul out of it.

Outside their room they found Katarina and Galan, also dressed in their usual garb, exquisite finely woven wool. They looked a bit nervous, but that was to be expected, nobody liked to be bespelled and then have a goddess remove that spell. That was unnerving.

They were led to the dining room by a servant, and found the dining room a lot larger and a lot fuller than they expected. This was a real court, be it a small one, and they were introduced to a lot of people, many satyrs, and some humans.

Lukas was greeted eagerly, and as far as Melissa could tell honestly, by many courtiers. His manners were as perfect as they had ever been in noble company, and Paul followed suit easily, also used to these formal occasions.

Melissa kept back a little, though she wasn't as afraid to blunder as in London, but as it was, her exotic looks gained her enough attention. In general, she thought she was admired, but she didn't get any offers to share love, which she appreciated very much.

Paul was again very much sought after, somehow he attracted Greek ladies like honey attracted flies.

And then they had to meet Aphrodite. She was on Hermes' arm, stunningly beautiful, tall, slim, she was blonde, and very feminine despite her slimness. Lukas and Paul clearly appreciated her beauty, but they did not look mesmerized.

Hermes started the introductions with Katarina, who was also very gracious, and very noble. Aphrodite spoke to her with a very pleasant voice, and said: 'Pleased to meet you, Katarina, your father here tells me that none of the unrest is actually your fault, that a spell has caused your countrymen to change their behaviour outrageously.

I'll be pleased to remove it for you, do you want to do that right now, so you can enjoy the evening without that ordeal hanging over you?'

Katarina nearly begged her to, and pleaded if her husband and Lykos could be present as well as Hermes.

Aphrodite now looked at Lukas, and said: 'Lykos Hermeides, it is so good to see you in such good health. And come into your own I see, congratulations. What happened to your horns? You were not branded I presume, no-one could do that to a god, and such a well-loved one. So it must have happened during your ordeal, I'm sorry to see your proud looks so damaged.

I hope your prowess didn't suffer? I was always hoping to put you through your paces some time, the goddess of love cannot lack knowledge of the master of love forever, now can she?'

Did Lukas accept that challenge there and then? Melissa truly thought he did, as a knowing look passed between them.

He bowed deeply and spoke: 'My dear Lady, I would be flattered to try to please you, it would be the greatest honour. I removed my horns myself, to fit into a world where horns and hoofs belong to an evil god instead of an innocent, benign species.'

'Let it be soon, dear Lykos, it has been some time since I have been really satisfied by a lover.'

His only answer was another deep bow.

'And who are your friends, surely this young lady is not from our hot country?' Aphrodite asked with interest.

'Melissa Kenwick is indeed not from our country but from cold England, far to the north. She is an engineer, she can build structures that never fail, and she saved my life after I fled my torturers, sorely wounded and nearly dying from loneliness.'

Melissa curtsied elegantly to show her respect to the goddess of love, who said: 'You are surpassingly beautiful with your lush curves and your creamy skin and copper hair. I envy Lykos the experience of having his life saved by a divine creature like you. It must have been like balm poured into a horribly painful wound.'

Of course Lukas' face showed that it had been exactly like that, and Aphrodite noticed.

'My lovely lady, but you have a gorgeous necklace, do you realize those horses really seem to move? I know ladies usually prefer gold, but the copper matches your hair perfectly, this must have been made for you by a superb artist. Too bad he probably lives a world away.'

Of course that was an opportunity Hermes could not let pass: 'Excuse me, sis, but this might be the right moment to give you a trifle I've ordered made especially for you, by Melissa's husband, Paul Kenwick.'

That was not the deal, now they had to hope Hermes knew what he was doing. He handed over the package, and she opened it curiously, and it was worth a million pounds to see her expression change from polite interest to stunned delight.

The gold glittered, and she held the necklace up, but couldn't appreciate the effect she knew it should have because of the likeness to the chain of running horses.

'May I see it on your delicious throat to truly appreciate the effect, my dear?' she asked Melissa. Hermes quickly held out his hand and then held the chain before Melissa, his hands burning on her shoulders, his breath in her hair once more.

'Oh my, that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,' Aphrodite whispered reverently, 'I loved the horses, but I love dolphins even more, and they are so live-like. They must be real, how did you do that?'

She looked straight at Paul now, and even he had some trouble breathing with the goddess of love fixing him in an intense stare.

She seemed to realize what she was doing to him, looked away for a second, then looked back at him with softer eyes. 'Will you fasten it on me?' she asked softly.

Able to move again, Paul took the necklace from Hermes and carefully draped it across Aphrodite's graceful neck, walking around her to avoid touching her too closely when fastening the clasp. He checked the front and adjusted it a tiny bit. A servant presented her with a mirror.

She took her time admiring it, and then she embraced her brother tightly, kissing him way too intimately for Victorian morals, and did the same to Paul.

Melissa felt her heart quail, she had never been so anxious before to lose the love of her life as in that very moment, not excepting that moment she saw him fall that horrible night in the factory. This woman could rip out his will in a second, and have his body please her for all eternity.

An elegant hand touched her, and a soothing voice said: 'Don't worry, divine beauty, I won't take your man from you. His love for you makes him the artist he is, it breathes life into these cold metal figurines. Without you, he would be without soul, an empty shell.

But maybe you will lend him to me for a few hours? After I've put your dehorned admirer through his paces?

And my goodness, brother, another one of her conquests? Don't let me catch you stealing the soul from this artist by bending his divine inspiration to your greedy will, or you'll have me to answer to as well as your son.'

At this remark from his observant sister, Hermes shot a guilty look at Melissa, certain his secret was out and he was in big trouble. But in Melissa he read only incredible relief, and when she found his eyes on her in a most un-godlike expression, she took his hand, squeezed it, and stroked his short hair and clean shaven cheek, an almost encouraging gesture.

A quick look at Lykos found him as relieved as Melissa, and not angry at all, so Hermes decided he had had a narrow escape, and to play the host, save his people, and see what happened.

'Sis, I've learned a lot the last few months, I finally realize that bending mortals breaks them. Do you want dinner first, or work first?'

'Work first, breaking that spell cannot be more than a minute's work, and then I can talk to your son and his friends in peace, whilst you negotiate with your daughter over the way you will save your people. That will take months, not minutes.'

Hermes led all of them to a quiet room, where Aphrodite checked Katarina herself and said: 'Or a little more than a minute, and some help.

Lykos, come here for a moment, I need you to show me how this all works, I can't just dismiss it, with a spell this powerful you need to understand exactly how it works, or you'll run the risk that bits stay behind and grow back. It might even suck me in, who knows?'

Catching a look of triumph from Melissa, Lukas stood thinking for a moment, then said: 'Maybe you'd better take Melissa, she can see right through almost everything. She got me out when this spell got a hold of me.'

A raised eyebrow in a gorgeous face was the only sign of doubt in Aphrodite's face, but she readily acceded and asked: 'Will you help me then, beautiful?'

With a little trepidation, Melissa sat next to the goddess, and let her in her mind. They approached the spell together, and as Melissa used her sight to reveal the nature of the spell, a bridge between Katarina's love and her feelings combined with a nasty leach-spell, she felt Aphrodite's understanding.

'Don't be worried now, this is going to make some fireworks,' was the message, and from a safe distance the goddess hit the spell with something bright. The leach really seemed alive, it cringed as it was hit at first, but then it attacked, trying to attach itself to other parts of Katarina's mind.

But it didn't have a chance against Aphrodite's power, within seconds it started to shrivel and it soon disappeared. The goddess then dismissed the bridge, though she did seem quite interested in the feelings it connected.

Melissa knew she'd find out how Katarina thought of the gods of her world, and it was not flattering. She also hoped Aphrodite would not tell Hermes that Katarina was not his daughter before Lukas had had a chance to tell him.

The goddess offered Melissa a virtual hand, and together they went back to the now.

Melissa was less tired than the last time she had met this spell, but of course she had wrestled with it on that occasion, and now Aphrodite had done all the hard work.

The beautiful woman was quite taken with Melissa's accomplishment, apparently she could not see the exact way the spell was built up either. She observed: 'That is very unusual for a mortal, to see things a goddess cannot. But of course you are not from this world. You don't even have much personal power.'

Of course Melissa had no idea why she shot a significant look at Hermes with that last remark, and she was very surprised to see the beautiful man look rather guilty when he caught that look. But who was she to meddle in the affairs of the gods?

So she said: 'I've not been practising magic for very long yet, six months ago I didn't even know it existed. People don't use magic openly in our world.'

That certainly surprised Aphrodite, and she observed: 'I'm glad I live in this one then, I like practising it. Shall we check the husband too?'

Which they did immediately, finding a similar spell in his mind. This one was about as strong, but now Aphrodite knew what she was up against and she had it removed in a moment, though with Melissa's help.

As they came back into the now, the goddess spoke: 'Glad you took him with you, or nothing would've changed, he had one too. You know who did this?'

Hermes shook his head, but Aphrodite fixed Lukas in her gaze: 'You know, Lykos, but you want it to be untrue, for you thought he was your friend, and yourself of value to him, not just a pawn in the great game. If you had been just a pawn, you would have been dead instead of lost, and your father's people would have been dead weeks from now, for it was you who saved them. Tell him, and tell him the other thing too, so we can have dinner free of anxiety.'

Lukas bent his head, and said to his father: 'Dad, it was Dionysus who did it, who had me abducted, spread the vile rumours, bespelled your daughter to cause unrest and rebellion. Except...she is not your daughter, she is your granddaughter. Katarina is my child, born from a union that occurred only once, in a brief moment of weakness.'

Hermes looked mad enough to boil for a few moments, then he visibly checked himself and he said: 'Your step-mother told me as I was recovering from her rejuvenation. She thought I might want to reconsider my plans because she shared her love with you. How can such a beautiful, smart woman, who understands that it is very unhealthy not to share love, keep thinking that that she is the only exception to that rule?

But Dionysus, that piece of underhanded filth, you loved him, you gave him your everything. What do you suggest we do to him?'

'Let's have dinner first, father, I'm actually hungry,' Lukas said, and Aphrodite suddenly seemed to think of something. 'Paul, Melissa, better let me check you out as well, you've been in contact with Katarina and Galan for a whole day and you're mortals, so you might be affected.'

That didn't sit well with Melissa, going into someone else's head with a Greek goddess was bad enough, but to let one mess with her own head, that was another. Still, she didn't want one of the leach spells in there either.

'Oh come on, you lovelies, I won't bite you,' the goddess spoke soothingly, 'you still don't trust me and I can't blame you, you've probably heard plenty of stories of my appetites and jealousies. But you're smart, and you must understand that the goddess of love cannot force anyone. I'd feel their hurt as if it were my own. Besides, Lykos is coming with me this time, this spell is nasty enough to make even me want an anchor.'

Still apprehensive, but unwilling to goad the powerful woman further, Melissa sat before her to let her mind be checked. She didn't feel a thing, besides the elegant hands on her temples, until they tilted her face towards their owner and she was kissed gently but very passionately, the first time Melissa had ever been kissed by a woman, her lips and her touch softer somehow, and her scent very different but also very enticing.

'Join us, divine one, join your man and me when we share our love, and you can make sure I treat him with respect and dignity. You are so beautiful and talented, I want to love you too.'

Aphrodite was very intense and very powerful, but not overwhelming. Melissa found herself considering her offer with a clear mind, and she decided she liked the idea of sharing love with a woman. Her kiss had been tantalizing.

'I will, thank you,' she replied, 'did you find an infection in my mind?'

'You will not regret it. You were clear, you have some kind of strange shield, very powerful stuff not your own. Whoever put that on you knew what they were doing, it was not easy to pass by. Do you have one of those too?' This at Paul.

Paul nodded: 'I suppose so, Melissa's father put that on us.'

'He is part of a powerful group then, I would not allow that kind of power in my realm, it might threaten me. Let me check you anyway,' and she touched his temples too, her hands entangled in his curls.

'The same shield indeed, such power gives great responsibility, but I suppose the divine one would have a divine dad, better able to handle great power than that miserly Dionysus or spiteful Hera. You're free of tampering too, and as delicious as your lady.' Of course Paul got the same passionate kiss, and he answered it with relish.

'Let's have dinner, flirting and removing spells makes even a goddess hungry, let alone her divinely beautiful mortal assistent!'

During dinner, Hermes found his granddaughter and her husband excellent company, and they made plans to check on all the villages within Hermes' realm to see how the affected people were recovering. Katarina insisted on Hermes taking part personally, and was surprised that he agreed to join them.

'Your mother and I were already planning to do that, she feels I need to be better known to my people, to prevent this from happening ever again. I like the idea of travelling with her, do you think horses can manage the paths?'

Galan replied: 'If you can convince your ship's captain to ferry them from harbour to harbour you can use horses to reach villages from there. Mules could even cross the mountains, but why bother if you can ferry around?'

'It's my ship and the world is full of captains, so I guess I'll convince either him, or his successor. No bending wills, just pulling rank,' Hermes said in reaction to their outraged expressions, 'even your mother rules her staff, Katarina, you know that. Will you move back in with her? She'd love that.'

'I'm sorry Hermes, but we need to live close to a harbour to keep our busineses alive, we cannot live an extra two day's march from our market,' Galan commented.

'You could teleport your wares straight to this place, and ship them from here. I'd even give you a reduced tax-rate,' was Hermes' cheeky comment.

Katarina was thoughtful: 'I'd like to keep mother company, but you were going to do that, and besides, she needs to get out more.

We hear a lot where we live, it is in the middle of your realm and we pick up news and problems really quickly. You need that information.'

Hermes bowed to her insight, and said: 'You are right, you're better placed where you are. But maybe you will allow me to install a teleport in your home, so we can visit our grandchildren? Aphrodite's touch practically guarantees you'll have children soon.'

Now it was Galan's turn to be cheeky: 'Then you'd better prepare to bring your own, for I seem to have heard my mother-in-law is now twenty years old again?'

At another table Aphrodite was listening to Lykos with growing wonder. Did she really believe that the young upstart had been abducted and dumped in a demon-world, then landed in a cold world full of humans where her own reality was just a memory from a very, very distant past?

She had never spent much thought on Lykos, she knew of him of course, had met him in his capacity of herald to Dionysus, and word of his sexual appetite and prowess had reached her, but she had thought to try it out herself only vaguely, mortals always overrated the prowess of other mortals.

But he had changed, he still looked rakish, with the mop of curls and the dented lip, a delicious lip, and his narrow face, hardly masculine but rather boyish, the change seemed to be in the eyes and his bearing.

This was a totally different Lykos, self-assured, elevated to godhood, depended on by his father and devoted to his people and his foreign friends. The things he told her about that world, steam-power, roads everywhere, buildings made of glass, electricity.

'You want to go back there, don't you?' she asked him shrewdly.

'I will, now my daughter is safe we will set a date for our return,' Lukas replied, 'I love my life there, though I'm afraid of the cold, they tell me it snows all winter. Ah well, Paul said I might hibernate in bed, and get pale and flabby.'

His saucy remark directed Aphrodite's attention to his body, and though it was slim, it was very muscular, his thighs were incredibly developed, and she used her position next to him at the table to run a hand over one of them, feeling hard muscle covered with soft skin.

Lykos' face didn't show any reaction to her bold touch, which of course challenged her to arouse him. Her hand followed the packed muscle upward, where she discovered an impressive tackle, as yet unresponsive and very soft to her touch. She fondled it, enjoying the feeling, she didn't often get to handle flaccid male parts, her first touch generally caused instant hardness.

Impressed by his control, she observed detachedly how long it would take for him to rise and if his face would betray him eventually. Her gentle caresses could apparently please the master, his soft-skinned penis started to throb slightly and righted itself slowly, until it was as hard as the muscle on his thigh, and gratifyingly thick.

He smiled at her benignly, where had he learned such control over his display of emotions? He must be raving with lust inside with Aphrodite, the goddess of love, stroking the part of him that had to all accounts ruled his life so far.

She felt her own heat stirring as it hadn't in years. The combination of such a sizeable erection, highly developed thigh muscles and such control over his lust, inspired great hope to find his reputation for sexual prowess deserved. To complete her anticipation she reluctantly moved her hand away from his exquisite manhood to his stomach.

That did for her, she had an idea of what she would find there, but to really feel the hard ridges of extreme musculature she had imagined him to have, gave her visions of feeling him slide inside her first, then exercise those muscles, slowly at first, then ever faster.

He moved towards her, not to kiss her as she had hoped, but to whisper in her ear: 'If you would be so kind as to give me a few moments to regain my control, so as not to lose my dignity in my father's court, we might retreat to your quarters.

I seem to have lost my appetite for food or talk.'

He did seem to show some excitement now, but only his friends would recognize it, a courtier would just think he was playing the game of courtly flattery with a highly ranked visitor.

She could see his point, it wouldn't do to to leave this very public hall with a huge erection sticking out from under his tunic, but she felt very reluctant to let go of his body.

She managed, though, and as her hand felt the incredibly soft fabric of his tunic, she found the perfect diversion for both their heated minds: 'Your tunic looks simple, though the cut is just perfect and the colour and the trimming are in excellent taste, but touching it I feel the fabric is extraordinarily soft. This cannot be wool, can it?'

Grateful for the totally innocuous subject, he stroked his own chest, as if to feel the stuff himself, and he replied: 'It is wool, my daughter makes this special quality in her workshop, isn't it fabulous? I guess it takes her a long time to weave even one tunic, but the result is well-worth the effort, and the cost. It is so thin and soft. She also knows how to dye the most brilliant colours.'

His voice changed to dryness: 'All right, thanks for the diversion, I'm good to go now, as long as you don't touch me until we're somewhere private.'

'Don't you have to explain to your friends?' she asked.

'They know, I've touched their minds. See? Let's go, and quickly, tell me how you get your dolphin friends to work as a group.'

And indeed, the gorgeous foreign couple smiled broadly at Lykos and herself, then fed one another a few more titbits. Aphrodite felt flattered that they seemed to trust her with Lykos, realizing they claimed him as theirs, allowing her to share love with him, knowing he'd always return to them, and that Lykos actually like to be theirs.

A god being claimed by mortals, and liking it? And she herself, glad to be allowed the privilege to have the use of him for a few hours? She was glad they were leaving, so she wouldn't have to do anything with her knowledge. She rather liked the three of them.

Still talking of dolphins, and cloth, and the future where Lykos had been, they reached her apartment, where they dropped the act and both lost their clothes, kissing and fondling, rubbing against the other in intense heat.

If Aphrodite expected Lykos to take her immediately, she was both a bit disappointed and pleasantly surprised, for he offered her his curly head, whilst he fondled and sucked her breasts. She had no idea what to do with the rough curls, until she stroked them with the heat his attention for her breasts gave her, and felt something hard under her hands.

The stumps of his horns, and she moved the curls aside to have a look at them, for she hadn't expected there would be so much left of them, and they felt cool to the touch. Still shivering with anticipation of what Lykos would do with her, she saw the silver caps and studied them, touching the horn-stumps in the process.

A shudder ran through him as she rubbed the base of the horn, and suddenly she understood why he had offered his head. He wanted those stumps scratched. She did so, very gently, but noted the exquisite work on the caps as well, very stimulating scenes. 'Paul's work?' she asked.

Lykos looked up at her with glassy eyes, he really liked to have his horns scratched! Then he nodded, and kissed her.

That delicious mouth, almost feminine in its softness, but not in its eagerness, besides, she felt his hardness firm against her thighs, promising release later. But she didn't want it later, she wanted it now, and she had a hunch how to get what she wanted immediately.

Still kissing, she reached out for the horns and scratched, a lot firmer this time.

His fervour exploded, his eyes shot fire and he lifted her against the wall. She wrapped him in her arms and legs, and as she felt him plunge right into her, so did her lust explode. They rutted like beasts, groaning and heaving, and his touch inside her sent waves of intense pleasure all through her body. She had a triumphant climax, and as she felt it recede slowly, he speeded up his thrusting beyond her considerable experience, beyond her wildest dreams.

That was so good, she wished it could last forever, but it didn't, all too soon they both reached a high. He was breathing fast, still connected to her, kissing her, and she felt very good,enveloped in his arms and surrounded by his delightful musky scent.

As soon as he had his breath back, he lifted her with surprising strength, and gently deposited her on the bed.

And there he continued where he had left off to release her impatient need, he touched and kissed every part of her gorgeous body, treating her like the goddess she was, stroking her and tasting her until her skin tingled and her passion took over again, before he had even touched an intimate part of her body.

Those were next, her breasts, her inner thighs, they were stroked and kissed and licked until they too, tingled and seemed to reach out after him. And only then did he spread her legs gently, kneeling between them, licking her until she was shuddering with ecstasy, and found release time after time, until she was so sated she thought that must be it, a bit disappointed she would not feel that delicious maleness inside her again.

He rose above her, still kneeling but upright now, his penis erect again and standing out gloriously from his mottled body. He lovingly stroked her long, slim legs and draped them over his shoulders one by one, then carefully penetrated her once more, and at the very moment she felt his hard flesh touch her inside, she acknowledged his title with all her heart.

That was the best feeling she'd ever had, no exceptions, and her sated body exploded in bliss once more. His smile broadened, he had clearly picked up on her feelings and her recognition of his skills.

But of course that was just the beginning, for he slowly started to thrust, touching that hidden spot inside her again and again, sending a shock through her each time. She could not help herself anymore, she exclaimed each time he thrust himself in her up to his rock hard stomach.

Her ardour rose quickly, higher and higher, until she came with a startled cry at the force of her release. And as Lykos speeded up once more, this time until he actually blurred from the waist down, she saw him smile in bliss, not in triumph.

He had gone all the way for her, not to prove his superiority over all her former lovers, but to share his all, to let the goddess of love experience the height of the art, a pinnacle she had the right to know could be reached.

He seemed to know exactly what stimulated her most, and managed to get one more climax out of her satiated body before he arched in his own high and collapsed right next to her on the bed. As he lay panting, but laughing in delight, she felt she still had one need left in her.

All the attention had gone to her, she had touched him only very shortly, and she wanted to feel him now.

'May I hold you, or do you reserve that for your mortals?' Aphrodite asked.

'I have no reserves for you, dear aunt, you are due every bit of love a man has to give.'

A very diplomatic answer, but she took him up on his word anyway and gathered him to her and held his slim but solid shape against her with a distinct feeling of love.

If he noticed, he didn't show, and he let her stroke him everywhere. She enjoyed the feel of his soft mottled skin, and his tiny firm buttocks with the frisky tail. She had had satyr lovers before, but never had she felt the need to stroke the longer hair on their legs, she had always concentrated on their human parts.

With Lykos still in her arms, Aphrodite talked with him on many subjects, his youth, her own realm, the nature of love, children. She could see he wanted children very much, and though he expected to never have any more of his own to raise, he accepted that.

After some time they fell asleep, until Lykos awoke in the middle of the night, thanked her for her love, and told her he needed to spend the rest of the night with his friends: 'Sharing love is difficult for them, I've brought them here and they may need me. Good night!'

Never in her long life had Aphrodite been tempted so much to tie someone to her as she was then. But as with any artist, forcing him would break him, and she knew love could not be taken. Besides, he was a god himself, and she suspected he was a lot stronger than he chose to appear to her. Maybe he would love her once more before he left, that was the most she could hope for.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Katarina and Galan retreated to their own room soon after Lukas had left, pleading exhaustion. They probably lived a very quiet life in their small village, and Melissa couldn't fault them for feeling the strain of the last few weeks, and things were by no means over, they would have their work cut out for them once they returned.

Hermes now joined her and Paul at their table and observed: 'They want to go back tomorrow, via the teleport to Ophelie to deliberate on how to proceed and then on to their own village. Their lives will be in upheaval for months, but I will assist them as soon as I have seen to Dionysus.'

With an effort he appeared less tired and in a better mood: 'Let's have some fun now, the members of my court have been wanting to get acquainted with you since your arrival, but I have been claiming your time unfairly. It is your holiday and you should enjoy singing and dancing, and some really excellent wine.

They removed to a different hall, where music sounded gay and totally unfamiliar, and where a number of couples was already dancing. The dance seemed rather intimate, but when Hermes asked them to try she readily acceded and so did Paul.

Of course they needed someone to lead them through the steps the first few times, and Paul soon had a choice of partners. Hermes checked out the ladies and said: 'Vavara, if you show master Paul the steps, the rest of you will get a chance later.'

Then at Melissa: 'Will you do me the honour of letting me teach you myself?'

She accepted readily, for there seemed enough interest from the gentlemen, but Melissa didn't feel like dancing so intimately with just any man.

Somehow that was different for a man, she guessed, watching Paul take his first steps through the dance with a sweet looking petite girl with huge dark eyes and a really large nose and long black hair, she saw he was having a good time.

He imitated the girl's steps and she smiled at him and said something, and soon they danced away. Melissa felt a tentative touch on her hand, and heard Hermes say softly: 'I'm sorry, do you mind him dancing with another girl? I constantly forget that you are not used to sharing, it was easier to remember in London, where everything was different.'

She found she really didn't mind, and said: 'I don't really mind, I just like to see Paul dance, he is so elegant, those new shoes look so good on him. Besides, once we both know the steps we can dance together again.'

Hermes held out his arms for Melissa, and she entered his embrace willingly and followed his steps, trying to remember them as quickly as possible to not look big and clumsy amidst the elegant petite Greek ladies.

It was not a difficult dance, nor did she feel uncomfortable in the arms of this powerful man, she had come to know him quite well and in a way she rather liked him. And to be honest, he was extremely easy on the eye.

He still looked like the twenty year old boy, short hair, perfect features, and his athletic posture was very smooth and still very sleek.

He wore sand-coloured loose trousers of a very thin fabric, and a black silk shirt, which made him look even more like a sleek black tomcat. He moved noiselessly, and led her as strongly as Tristan had, a very nice experience.

Melissa was only slightly smaller than him, and she was not planning to cling to his neck as she saw some of the ladies do, or rest her head on his chest.

She did allow him to come very close, and when he leaned over with his cheek against her head and his face in her copper hair, and sent her a cheeky look over his forwardness, she said: 'I don't mind, Hermes, I find I kind of like you. We've all become a lot looser here, you may take any liberty that is allowed in this dance.'

This caused him to laugh out loud, saying: 'I thank you, and I would love to take you up on that offer, but I am not going to, for that would include kissing and rubbing my intimate parts against yours.'

And he looked around significantly, where indeed several couples were doing just that.

Seeing the humour in the situation, she smiled and felt his face back in her hair. Her command of the dance was greatly improved already, and she started to enjoy the unusual music and the jaunty steps. When the dance was finished, they danced together once more, the music slightly different and the steps matching it logically.

Paul had been taken by another girl, who was taking some liberties with him that he submitted to. He pulled a face at Melissa where the girl couldn't see it, to show what he thought of her intimacies. Melissa decided to dance the next dance with him and ask if he was still enjoying this. She could imagine him feeling hunted again.

Meanwhile, Hermes was really enjoying their closeness, he was still leading but his head was resting on her shoulder, eyes closed, and if she continued her sleek tomcat analogy, he must be purring by now.

She stroked his hair and his face gently, and the eyes opened in pleased surprise, fire rising in them, head no longer resting on her shoulder but really close to her own.

She offered to kiss him, touching his lips with hers, and he answered it very slowly, making the most of every second.

He smelled great and he tasted great, and just as they finished their kiss, the dance finished too, and she said: 'I'm going to dance with my husband for a while, see if he still enjoys himself, save another dance for me tonight.'

As it turned out, Paul was planning to dance with her too, as she went to look for him he was already on his way and they fell into the other's arms. He led her away as the music started, and Melissa drank in the sight of him, his hair longer and lighter than usual, his cheeks clean-shaven, but the same beacon of love and trust he had been to her since she met him for the first time. She had chased him shamelessly, using every natural advantage she had, though she knew he had fallen for her mind and her person before she had gotten him to really see her beautiful body.

She could not help kissing him, it felt so right to be in his arms, this was where she belonged, and the tightness of his grip on her, and the love overflowing in his eyes proved he felt exactly the same.

To them, this was love, and they needed no-one else.

They went through one dance in total silence, Melissa following Paul through the dance, remembering their time together so far and finding nothing wrong in it. She laid her head on his chest and smelled his scent, lacking the smoke and the etching fluid that were usually an integral part of it, but with that little extra that a lot of sun added to the scent of skin.

And a bit of cologne, probably transferred from one of those ladies he had danced with. Ah well, once they were back in England, that would be done with.

Paul kissed her once more and stroked her hair back from her face. After a long time of just being together he broke the silence: 'You're still the most beautiful woman I know, Melissa, even Aphrodite does not compare.'

She was thrilled and replied: 'Thank you love, I was just thinking the same.'

He smiled cheekily and asked: 'You realized you were more beautiful than the goddess of love?

Giving him a firm poke in his solid chest she retorted: 'You know what I meant. I remembered how I chased you, and caught you at last, and how I still feel safe and loved with you. And how nice you smell even when you're not working in the forge.'

'You like it when I stink of smoke and sweat?' he asked with some real surprise. She nodded and breathed in his ear: 'I love it!'

Kissing her once more he observed: 'I smell Mr Sleek on you, better get it over with soon, so he can go back to his lady. She'll thank you for indulging him I'm sure.'

Seriously now, Melissa said: 'If you don't want me to, I won't. I'm not going to risk our understanding, you know I love you more than anything.'

'I do, love, and I truly don't mind anymore. I find I kind of like our father-in-law, and I truly think it is unhealthy for him to have this kind of an unanswered crush. If you do him, he can go back to Ophelie and live happily ever after.'

Melissa just couldn't believe how much he'd grown, and she was still musing on that when he said: '

I guess I have to choose one of these ladies for tonight, will you pick me one? I'll be glad to be back in good old Victorian England with its stuffy morals. You're good enough for me always! You and that outrageous billy-goat of course, let's not forget him, if his aunt doesn't burn him out.'

'These feisty Greek ladies have more chance of burning you out!' Melissa offered him a chance to tell her what he really thought of the situation.

'True, and you were going to choose one for me to try to please. The taller lady I danced with told me her uncle is an important person and she would honour me with her love, the smaller girl, with the big nose, told me her father is a member of the staff here.

I suppose not the cook or the gardener, or she wouldn't be at court. She didn't talk of love, but I know she wants me. Of course there were four other girls who wanted a piece of me, you may pick any of those as well.'

If there had not been true humour in his voice as he said this, Melissa would have taken him back to their own room, insult or not.

But as it was, she took a good look at all of the ladies in question, and she did not particularly like the girl who had taken such liberties with her husband, she thought the girl might claim him. She was dancing with Hermes now and showing some of that behaviour too.

That one was out, and Melissa kind of liked the tiny girl, she seemed shy and gentle, Paul liked a little less spirit she thought. 'Take the tiny girl, she looks nice and not too possessive,' she decided, and Paul seemed happy with her choice, 'you'll be back tonight, won't you?'

'Of course,' he replied, 'I have no wish to sleep with anyone else but you. We'll just do our duty to propriety and then we'll be together again. Kiss me once more, please?'

Paul's use of the term propriety made an impression on Melissa, it was indeed as if the morals of both worlds were exactly opposite, and though Melissa had often been opposed to Victorian propriety, in this case she preferred her own world.

They kissed and hugged, and when that dance was through they both changed partners once again. Melissa danced with Ophius, sneaking a peek at him with sight and wondering why he didn't light up with magic talent all the time. Could it be a difference between their worlds? Aphrodite and Hermes had not shown any sign of having magic talent unless they were practising magic, and Melissa had not even known Katarina had any.

She decided to ask him, and his reply confirmed what she had thought. They talked a little about Lukas' youth, and Ophius asked: 'Do you have children?' Melissa replied: 'Not yet, but I'd like to have children someday. Do you?'

'Actually, your husband is dancing with my eldest right now. She likes him a lot,' Ophius turned a little so Melissa could see Paul dancing with the tiny girl with the rather large nose again. 'Your wife is a human?' she asked. Ophius nodded, and observed: 'Two of our children are satyrs, two are human.'

'Katarina looks human but she has mottled skin, does that happen often?' Melissa asked. Ophius replied: 'No, usually children are either the one, or the other. No-one knows why. Lykos told me that on your world he cannot show his hoofs or his horns?'

'That is true, our people don't know satyrs, his looks would frighten people and they'd hurt him, even kill him. Humans in our world are aggressive.'

Ophius shook his head and said: 'And still he wants to go back. He must love you both very much. But he'd better take care not to sire a child, what if it is a satyr?'

'Lykos cannot sire a child on our world, he is an alien species, there would be no danger of any woman getting a satyr baby from him,' Melissa said.

'You are in our world now, what if you were to become pregnant here? Did Aphrodite touch you?' Ophius seemed really serious, so she answered him seriously: 'She checked me for infection with the spell, why do you ask?'

'Just wondering, I'd expect her to be jealous of your exotic beauty, but Hermes said she seemed to like you.'

'Surprisingly she seemed to, yes. But you think I could get pregnant of a satyr baby if I sleep with Lykos here?' this upset Melissa , 'I already did, many times. A satyr child would have no life in my world.'

Ophius looked at her kindly, and said soothingly: 'Next time you speak to Aphrodite, tell her this, and I'm certain she will make it right for you. She can, you know.'

'Won't there be a price to pay? And what could she do?' Melissa asked suspiciously.

This made Ophius laugh and he said: 'How well you know our gods already, but they have to tell you their price before they do anything, no nasty surprises. Please don't worry too much, I'm sure everything will work out fine. Try to enjoy yourself as long as you are here.'

Soon after this, that dance ended, and Hermes was waiting for her. 'Do you want to sit down for a moment, shall I get you a drink?' he asked. She did feel like sitting down so she assented, and he took her to a little table overlooking the dance floor. Paul was no longer there, gone to do his duty to propriety, she guessed.

Hermes did not have to fetch them drinks of course, as soon as he sat down himself a servant approached them and he ordered wine. 'Did you see Paul leave?' she asked him. He looked at her inquisitively, and said: 'I did. He was with Vavara, Ophius' daughter.

She's a sweet girl, and she often has a difficult time here, the other girls pull rank on her all the time, because her father works for me. Fools! I'd trade all my nobles in a second for Ophius. He has more real power here than any of them, but he's very good at keeping that a secret. Do you mind Paul sharing?'

'Of course I do,' Melissa replied honestly, 'he has been forced away from me every evening except the first. Going from absolute monogamy to sharing love every night under threat of delivering deadly insult is too much to ask from him. I'm glad he at least managed to avoid that hungry looking girl, the one you were dancing with.'

'You mean Rhoda, yes, she can be a bit much, even to me, and getting worse the last few months.

I'm really sorry to hear about Paul feeling forced to share, Melissa. I like Paul and I want him to feel safe and at home here. You make it sound as if he is hunted.

My sister came on to him too, and Rhoda certainly plans to have a piece of him. I don't know why I still tolerate her, I should have sent her home today. She's Dionysus' niece, you know, damned traitor!

Though to be honest, she probably has no idea he betrayed me, she has been here all this time. And Lykos, what he did to my boy, he gave his all to that wine-guzzling slob, even his love. That's more than he ever gave to me!'

'Now that's not fair, Hermes, you know Lykos has always loved you. You just didn't want his love.' Melissa's indignation must have been audible, for Hermes admitted: 'You're right of course, I'm sorry. And now he's left you to go share his love, too. Can't wait what my sister will have to say about him, is he really that good?'

A bit distracted with the knowledge of the niece of Lukas' enemy running around the palace, Melissa looked at him and asked: 'Sorry, what did you say?'

'You must feel abandoned with both your men away, do you want me to stay here with you until they return?' Hermes' concerned look was cute, Melissa had to admit that, and he really did not try to take advantage of what he supposed was an accidental occurrence.

She baited him a little: 'Don't mind me, I've other plans tonight.'

He could not keep his face from showing his disappointment. 'You have a date to share as well?'

This was fun, he practically set her up for some teasing: 'Well, not exactly a date, but it has come to my attention that someone 'wants a piece of me', and I thought I'd indulge him.'

Now he looked positively jealous, he surely knew what jealousy was even if Lukas hadn't known!

'You know someone here? An older man?'

'He's certainly older, but not exactly a man. I've spent some time talking to him and I find that if I am going to try sharing love, it would be with him.'

Hermes was so distraught by now, he wasn't thinking clearly anymore. 'You mean to share love with Ophius? He's old enough to be your father!'

She laughed heartlessly and said: 'As you yourself revealed to us, Lykos is also old enough to be my father, and I've shared love with him for half a year, and I plan to do it for many years to come. I see no problem in sharing love with an older man.'

'Can we at least drink a glass of wine, and talk a little? I was hoping you'd spend some time with me, you promised me another dance, remember? You kissed me!' It was good to tease a god, it made a girl feel really powerful. He didn't have a clue.

'Don't worry, I'll drink a glass of wine with you, and I'll dance with you. And if you are really nice to me you may kiss me again.'

Now a glimmer of understanding seemed to be entering his vast brain. Paul said it had been stuffed with clutter, that probably made it difficult to think clearly.

He didn't dare ask, but hope dawned on his beautiful young face.

She didn't release him from his anxiety yet. 'So, what did you want to talk about then?'

The wine had long since arrived, and, lost for words, he poured two glasses and handed her one. Anticipation pulled him out of his befuddled state, and he said: 'Please, try it. Tell me what you think.'

Melissa had not been raised with wine, everything she ever knew about the stuff she had learned the last half year living with Paul and visiting the Nomes'. She had always liked beer well enough.

She carefully sampled the wine as Paul and Lukas had taught her, letting the aroma fill her nose as well as her mouth.

As the potent liquid hit her tongue and the inside of her nose at the same time, she was overwhelmed by aroma and an impression of a warm, rock-strewn hill covered in vines. Bees were buzzing around her, crickets sang a song of longing as the sun gave its life to everything around her.

Then she was back in the hall with the music playing and Hermes watching her in expectation. The glorious taste of the wine was still in her mouth, and she spoke with wonder: 'That was amazing. The taste of that wine took me to the orchard where it originated.'

Now Hermes said in triumph: 'I knew it wouldn't be wasted on you! This is my most special wine, Melissa, it almost has a life of its own. I wanted so much to share it with you. Will you drink with me for a little while before you leave me to share your love?'

It was time to stop this, it was getting cruel, he was not going to ask.

She offered to toast with him, and apparently he knew the custom. 'I will certainly drink this wine with you, it is fit for a god, and it is a great honour that you would share it with a mere mortal like me,' she said.

They both sipped it, and when the divine taste of the wine filled her mouth, she offered to kiss him once more. Stunned, he accepted the offer, and they shared a passionate kiss, senses filled with that incredible taste, his hands in her hair and hers in his for a few moments.

When they broke it off, he still didn't believe it, he looked a little hurt and asked: 'I don't understand Melissa, why do you tease me so? I've tried so hard to be a good friend, to show you respect. Why do you kiss me like that when you know it drives me mad with yearning?'

She managed to look contrite, though she didn't feel that way, and she said: 'I'm sorry Hermes, you have been a good friend, and you don't deserve to be made unhappy. I was just teasing you a little, I thought you'd understand eventually.

Paul and Lykos left me alone because I told them I was planning to share my love with you.'

She took his hand to prove she was serious, and he asked: 'You are?'

'If you want me to,' she said, 'but first I'd like to enjoy this magnificent wine with you, it would be a sin not to. Do you know what sin is?'

Taking up her glass in one hand, she held on to his hand with the other. She took another sip of the wine, feeling its warmth through her whole body.

'We have sins here, though I guess not as many as you Victorians have. Can we take the wine with us to my chambers? I'm desperately afraid that one of your men will come back and challenge me, or that something else will happen to prevent this.'

At her nod, he nearly pulled her along, holding on to their glasses, past the dancers, through a long hall, through another hall, until they were standing in front of a large double door.

He put down his glass rather than let go of her hand, and only when he had opened the door, and she had stepped inside and was studying the opulence of his chambers, did he retrieve his glass and close the door.

But the chambers were not opulent at all, they were not bare either, but much more down to earth than she had expected. The walls were white, apparently a good custom here, the floors were marble with Persian rugs, the bed was a wooden four-poster but without curtains, and the furniture was wood as well.

Hermes put his glass on a table and asked Melissa for hers and put it beside his. Then he embraced her and kissed her reverently, still unable to believe he was really here with the woman he had yearned for for months. He suspected she was doing this to humour him, to get him off her back, but he was going to enjoy every second of it, and then he was going to try to be faithful to Ophelie with all the power of his formidable will.

She was unbuttoning his black silk shirt, and nuzzling his bare skin, smelling his scent and feeling the smooth hairless chest. He supposed he must feel rather slick compared to her rugged lovers, but she appeared to appreciate the difference.

When the shirt was neatly hung over a nearby chair, it was his turn. Now his time was finally come he became hesitant to touch her, that smooth white flesh, the generous shape, to him she looked more like a goddess than his sisters. Resolutely he untied the sash, and opened up the dress, filling his eyes with the sight of her full breasts and her round hips.

He followed her example and hung the dress over the chair carefully, then touched her, running his hand over every inch of her, feeling her softness, her wealth. Accepting his caresses quietly, one of her hands found the strings of his trousers and loosened them, and the supple cloth fell to the ground, leaving him naked.

She stepped out of her underwear and they moved to the bed as one.

Hermes could not help feeling a bit anxious, this woman was used to the very best, his son had an unbeatable reputation and Paul had undoubtedly learned a lot from him.

She noticed, and said gently: 'I'm twenty years old, Hermes, half a year ago I was still a virgin. I'm sure you can teach me a trick or two.'

'But Lykos,' he said, and she laughed: 'Lykos would be the first to tell you that making love is not a race. He was my first lover and I've always appreciated his energy and his skills, but I've never felt Paul's loving as any less.'

And she came towards him and pushed him on the bed, and sat right on top of him, holding his hands against the bed so he couldn't move at all, then kissing him. All his doubts and insecurities vanished in her certainty, and he lost himself totally in that kiss.

He didn't feel her hands releasing him, but suddenly she was sitting on his face, one hand in his hair, one against the wall, and he held her copper curls and licked her greedily. How often he had imagined her doing this, telling him what to do, having him please her.

She tasted as good as he had imagined, and he lost himself in her body, feel her softest parts in his mouth, and everything else under his hands as he stroked her, buttocks, hips, breasts.

It didn't take long for her to start moaning a little in rising ardour, and he just had to insert a finger into her warm, moist depth.

That was very much appreciated, she moved herself on it, and her glorious body moving to the rhythm of his efforts was so very enticing. She came to a shuddering climax, and vented her ecstasy on his body, going straight for his penis, taking it in her mouth with greed almost, licking and sucking until he saw spots before his eyes.

Her hands explored his smooth body, and he thought he really ought to be doing something, to prevent himself from getting too worked up.

Of course Melissa could feel his excitement rising quickly, and since she had learned a lot recently about how to choose the moment when a man was going to come, she tried some of Lukas' tricks on Hermes.

They certainly worked, he did not climax, but stayed in the same state of extreme ardour for as long as she wanted him to, gasping for breath, hands groping for her hair, her shoulders, anything to hold on to.

She had no idea whether he would crash after one climax, and it was a bit embarrassing to ask, so she decided to give him quarter, and looked up at him.

'Yes, please, a little breather!' he panted, 'you've been picking up tricks from my son, I'm sure! May I please hold you, just be close to you, make it all last a little longer? I've yearned to have you in my arms for months, I don't want this to end.'

She would let him hold her of course, but her lust was still up, and he still had a rather nice erection, so she sat on him and laid down on his chest, squeezing him every so often to get him to move a little to feel him inside her.

He held her tightly, and they kissed and nuzzled and touched a lot, until he finally lifted her bodily, deposited her next to him on the bed very carefully, then jumped her eagerly, ready for some action.

And it was good, she was still very excited, and as he entered her she did not just feel it where his flesh touched her inside, she felt all her nerves tingle in response, his mouth kissing her eagerly, his eyes filled with fire.

Her hands explored his body eagerly, he was softer than both Lukas and Paul, they were all muscled up from their work at the forge, Hermes had no body hair and his flesh was much more pliable, she wanted to lick it and eat it.

But soon she could think of nothing anymore because bliss was taking over, wave after wave of pleasure was rolling over her, and she came with a shudder, with Hermes riding her climax eagerly, in the throes of ecstasy himself now.

His thrusting increased in speed and force as he chased a high, his face angelic, as if he was not satisfying a base need, but serving some higher goal. Then he climaxed relatively quietly, and didn't crash on her but caught his weight on his arms. He was breathing hard, and smiling really happily he whispered: 'Thank you so much for indulging me, lovely.'

They kissed, even though he was still a bit out of breath, and he sat on the bed against the wall, inviting her to join him. She sat in his embrace, until he moved to offer her one of the wine glasses, and they finished that divine vintage together.

And when they had drained the glasses slowly, talking a little of their past together, he put the glasses back on the table and asked: 'Ready for the next round?'

Since she was more than ready they did it all over again, with as much fervour as the first round, and though she did not envy Ophelie, or feel the slightest inclination to fall in love with him, she was not sorry for indulging him either.

He was a very gentle and pleasing lover, and she really hoped he would manage to stick to his beautiful young wife most of the time, for her Victorian morals wanted such a loving man to settle and make one woman really happy, instead of a lot of women a little.

But of course that was not her choice, she had done her part and had even enjoyed it.

And now it was time to return to her own room, to Paul, who would undoubtedly be back by now. She did not expect Lukas back before midnight, he usually returned later.

Hermes clearly regretted her leaving, and he insisted on taking her to their bedroom, he didn't want her to be alone in the palace, nor in their bed.

And when Paul wasn't there yet, she did not object to Hermes staying until he would come, though she did wonder what was keeping Paul so long. Maybe he had fallen asleep?

She stayed awake, talking to Hermes and yes, cuddling a little too, but at some time she slipped into sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

When Lukas returned to their own room he expected both Paul and Melissa to be there already, sound asleep, as was so often the case when he went out on his own. He entered the room in the dark and saw two shapes in the bed, and bent over the one on the outside to gently kiss him before he snuggled against Melissa on the other side of the bed.

But this shape didn't smell of Paul, but of his father, and as he reached out he touched short, straight hair instead of curls. He quickly checked the other shape, and it was indeed Melissa.

Waking them both, he asked urgently: 'Where's Paul? Did he leave?'

His father was awake instantly, always on his guard, one of the reasons Lukas couldn't wait to return to London, and said: 'When I took Melissa back to her room he wasn't there yet, so I stayed with her until he'd come back. I must have fallen asleep. Do you think he stayed with Vavara?'

Lukas shook his head resolutely, and replied: 'Paul would never do that, he only loves Melissa. Something's wrong.'

Hermes was out of the bed and away in a second, and he returned almost immediately, looking alarmed: 'She says he left at least an hour ago, he didn't want her to take him to his room, said he knew the way. Someone took him, and we both know who. Melissa, we're getting him back, I'll have you guarded, you cannot keep up with us. I'm sorry.'

And within a minute father and son were off at full speed.

They arrived at Dionysus' place ten minutes later, having run over rock, water, forest, anything and everything they met in their way. Lukas managed to keep up with his father, but barely. They did not stop for gates or guards, Hermes just stunned anyone in sight and they barged into Dionysus' bedchamber, finding the huge, gaudy bed empty of the jolly god with the pot-belly, but filled with three gorgeous girls with long hair and not a stitch on them.

At the sight of two enraged gods they fell over themselves to tell them that Dionysus had enjoyed himself with them before dinner, but had been struck with something just after making love, some indisposition. He had left dinner untouched to talk to his guards, and then he left in a hurry, telling his girls he would be in his 'special room.'

That was a place where he would be hidden from his enemies, who usually gave up after some cooling time, and then Dionysus would get one of the other gods to settle the dispute and he continued as he was.

Hermes looked ready to kill something, and Lukas felt the cold hand of fear clamp around his heart. Losing Paul would kill Melissa, and might just kill him as well. They absolutely had to find him, and alive.

He ruthlessly quelled a wave of panic rising inside him, and asked: 'Is the special room part of this palace, Hailee?'

One of the girls looked up at him as if stung by a bee, recognizing his voice, and she cried: 'Lykos, we thought you were dead!' She fell into his arms crying, looked up at him and asked: 'What happened, Lykos, your horns! Were you branded?'

With superhuman patience he stroked her hair and said: 'I was abducted, Hailee, by Dionysus, and he has taken my friend now. I need to find him, I must save this friend!'

Hailee replied: 'I will help you, but if things work out please visit and tell me everything. No-one knows exactly where it is, but it is somewhere in that cliff over there.'

And she pointed out of the window to a rock-face close to the palace.

'I have heard of staff stocking it, it must be there and it has an entrance on top. But you will have a hard time finding it since no-one can see through rock. I'm sorry. If you find him, please don't kill him, he's actually a very nice guy, just afraid of plots against him, and of losing face. I'll keep the other girls from making a scene, go, do what you have to.'

And they were outside again in a second. Hermes wanted to look for an entrance on the top of the cliff, but Lukas said: 'I do know someone who can see through rock. Will you get Melissa? You're faster than me, and stronger. She dreamt about flying with you, one of those dreams those elves sent her. And now it's coming true.'

Hermes wrapped his arms around his son, and said: 'We had a good time tonight, but Melissa loves only you two, and especially Paul. We need to get him back, or she'll just die on you, on us. I'll be back before you know it. Be strong, my boy!'

And he was off in a blur.

Five minutes after Lukas and Hermes had left, there was a knock on the door, and before Melissa had well and truly realized what had happened, Aphrodite came in and sat beside her on the bed.

'First tell me what happened,' Aphrodite said dryly, 'my brother told me he had to get your man back, and to keep you safe, nothing more.'

As she woke up properly, the harsh truth was starting to dawn on Melissa, and she had to control herself not to totally lose it. Paul taken? He might be dead already.

The thought caused her throat to burn, and her eyes to overflow.

She forced herself to speak: 'He went with Ophius' daughter because we thought it would be best if I shared love with Hermes just once. He's wanted me since we first met him, and now he has a woman of his own we thought indulging him might cure his infatuation.

Hermes didn't want to leave me alone when Paul wasn't here yet. We must have fallen asleep until Lykos woke us. Oh my god, Paul! I can't live without him.'

She broke down crying, finally realizing she might never see him again, lost in this big empty world where he didn't have the means to defend himself, where he was helpless against armed men and gods.

'Don't despair, lovely, my brother and your Lykos are not exactly powerless, and there is a promise between your man and me that I am determined he will fulfill.' Aphrodite was really sweet and her strong personality managed to calm Melissa down a little. 'I have many allies, on land and in the sea, and I will send them to look for him.' She blanked out for a moment, then said: 'They are already looking. Let the men run around, and let us think. Do you really think Dionysus took him? Does he even know you are in this world? I broke his spell this afternoon, could he have acted so quickly? And why take Paul, why not you?'

'I was with Hermes all this time, and Lykos with you, Paul was the most vulnerable. But you are right, what use would it have for Dionysus to take Paul? It wouldn't hurt Hermes very much, he likes Paul but not enough to be hurt by his death.'

The door of the room burst open, and Hermes came in, slightly out of breath. 'Melissa, we need you to look inside a cliff, please come with me.'

'But I can't go that fast,' she objected.

'No need, I'll carry you, I can make you virtually weightless, it will be scary, but you'll have to stick it out.' Hermes already had his hand on her, and he lit up slightly.

Melissa felt herself rise, until a strong arm took hold of her surprisingly gently, and then the world around her blurred and she seemed to fly in Hermes' arms. It was exactly like the dream she'd had, except that she had been flattered and infatuated then, and at this moment she was in mortal fear of losing Paul.

Hermes was really incredibly fast. Within minutes he came to a halt and she got her usual weight back. They were on a cliff and Lukas was coming towards them.

He said: 'We need you to search this cliff-face for caves and tunnels, Dionysus is hiding in here somewhere.'

Taking her hand, Lukas established a link to Melissa to anchor her in case she stumbled upon the mind of a god, and also to provide her power. Lukas knew Hermes had put a permanent link to his power on her, but he wanted Melissa to use his own.

She had already activated her sight, and Lukas could follow her as she scanned the entire cliff. Very soon they saw a few squared off chambers in the rock-face, with a tunnel leading outside. 'There' they pointed at a certain spot ahead, and Hermes ran towards it.

'You're right on top of it,' Lukas said, and Hermes did find a hatch, opened it, and they all ran inside, Melissa keeping a stun-bolt ready.

When they neared a chamber she checked with sight, and found it was storage, then a privy, and a bedchamber. They burst in, and found an opulent bed with a flabby, pot-bellied man lying in it, fast asleep.

Hermes grabbed the oblivious man by the throat, and dragged him out of the bed.

The god of wine had brown hair over his ears, his features sunk in fat, his eyes a watery brown with red rims, as if he had been drunk the night before. Which was probably true. His skin looked an unhealthy colour, like a naturally dark skinned person kept from the light of the sun, and he had an overpowering odour, the smell of dubitable sanitary habits.

In Hermes' iron grip, Dionysus turned blue fast. As he recognized Lukas, he did manage a gasp of surprise and fright, which seemed like a miracle with his throat clamped shut.

'Why did you do it, Dionysus, why did you betray me? I thought we were friends,' Lukas said sadly. 'And that was me, personally. I might have forgiven you for that. But now you've gone too far, having my best friend abducted as well. If I didn't need to know where you keep him, I'd not stop my father from killing you. If anything happens to Paul, I will kill you myself. I'm a gifted healer now, traitor, and a god, I can make it last for centuries.'

Dionysus was not a brave god, and when it was clear he wanted to talk, Hermes released his grip just enough to allow him to breathe. The plump god started to blubber and beg for mercy, and Hermes said: 'Better make it quick, we don't have much time.'

'All right, all right, master Hermes, please don't hurt me, I'll tell you all, just don't kill me or torture me, I'm a sensitive person.'

Hermes allowed the pudgy god to sit on the bed, and Melissa thought he didn't look like a kidnapper and a murderer. But Paul was missing, and this man was responsible.

These Greeks all had a hysterical streak, for he started to cry and called out: 'I'm so sorry for what I did to you, Lykos, I love you so much, please don't hurt me. I was afraid you'd best me as a lover and that was the only pride I had, I couldn't let that happen.

Then she came, said she'd show me things I'd never imagined. But it got out of hand, and I had to do something, anything! They swore they'd only relocate you, they promised me you would be safe, never to be discovered.

Oh my poor boy, what did they do to your horns, that must have hurt so badly. I've missed you so terribly, I was so sorry, I should have let you be my master of love, but you were going to be so powerful as a god, people loved you so much, I could see it, and then Hermes would love you again and you'd leave me and I'd be nothing. And then I was sorry, but it was too late, I couldn't back out or I'd be in for it myself.

How did you come back? I took such care no-one would look for you, and had the portal set to a place where she'd never find you, but where there would be love to feed you, you would never want to leave. Why did you?

You broke my spell, didn't you? Katarina hated Hermes, she'd never let him near her, and her people would have been mine, their love would have been mine. I wouldn't have harmed them, as soon as Zeus and Aphrodite had removed Hermes I'd have removed it, let them love and make fun again.'

'Enough talk, Dionysus,' Hermes said viciously, 'or I'll squash you like the bug you are, or better, I'll have father and Aphrodite do it for me. You've broken the rules and you know it!

If you want to survive with your balls intact, better tell me where you are keeping the man you had taken, we want him back, you've heard Lykos. If he suffers or is killed, he'll take it out on you, century after century.'

Dionysus was very afraid of both Hermes and Lukas, and he rattled: 'I don't know, I don't know whom she took, and where she took him. I told my niece to create a minor diversion if ever someone took the spell off Katarina.'

'A minor diversion?' Melissa had never seen Lukas so angry. 'She took my best friend from the palace of my father, where Hermes had promised me he would be safe. Aphrodite wanted him to share love with her, because she loved his art so much. If something happens to him, she wants your hide, too. You're in big trouble, traitor!'

'I don't know where she took him, Rhoda is very Gifted, she can translocate, but not very far, she can bind people's magic. She has spelled men to love her before, they're probably very busy by now, he's probably just fine.

At least I hope they are, for she wasn't her usual self the last months, she went totally wild a few times, Hailee told me. If he'd refuse her or choose another over her that would make her killing mad. She hates you too, Hermes, she wanted you to marry her.'

Hermes drew a circle in the clay floor with a rock, and spoke a formula. A wise old man appeared in the circle, and Hermes bowed deeply before him. The man looked around, and Lukas bowed as deeply to him, so Melissa did the same but with her best curtsy.

Dionysus started to blubber for real, as Hermes spoke: 'Father, my people have been liberated. They were not to blame, my granddaughter was not to blame, this worthless traitor had put a spell on her that caused my people to rise up against me.

Lykos, my son, has discovered the spell, Aphrodite has removed it, but now this traitor has taken Lykos' friend and keeps him in a secret location, held by a raving madwoman, his niece. We need to find him, but we dare not leave this traitor unattended, for he will work more mischief.

Will you take him into custody, to be judged for his crimes against Lykos, against my people, and against me?'

The old man held out his arms to Lukas and said: 'Lykos Hermeides, we thought you were dead. Welcome back, you've come into your inheritance I see, congratulations. I'm sorry about your horns, they rather suited you I thought.

My daughter has already sent me news on the situation, and she spoke highly of you and of her brother. Give Dionysus to me for judgement, and go find your friend. Look well, young mortal, and not just with your eyes, and you will find him.'

He spoke that last sentence to Melissa, and his piercing eyes had great power. She bowed again in acknowledgement, and Lukas let himself be kissed by his grandfather, who apparently liked to speak in riddles for he said to both Lukas and her: 'Be not alarmed over your child, for it will not be rejected.'

Then he reached out for Melissa and kissed her as well. She was awed and amazed, for she thought he had only been an image. But Hermes knew what he was doing, for he had manhandled Dionysus to the circle and handed him over to his father, who lifted him effortlessly and winked out. Hermes broke the circle by stepping on the soft clay, and then he touched Melissa again, who felt herself grow lighter.

'Off we go,' he called, and holding on to her, he ran up the tunnel, everything blurring already by the time they reached the end. Ten minutes saw them in their own room, Hermes breathing a little fast, Lukas knackered. 'You beat me old man,' he admitted, you're still the fastest.'

'To each his own, Lykos, you beat me tonight at something else, and you weren't even there,' Hermes said this with a wink at Melissa, and despite the seriousness of the situation, it was quite funny.

Aphrodite came in and wated to know how things were, and they told her. They knew now that Rhoda was the perpetrator, and she could be counted as exceeding her orders and very dangerous to Paul and anyone out to stop her.

They needed to tread lightly around her, not scare her into killing Paul or forcing them to kill her, leaving him stranded in a hidden cave. Hermes and Lukas went out immediately to try to find her inside the palace.

The tall young woman he had danced with that evening had rendered Paul totally helpless by stunning him in the hall of the palace, then binding his magic and his strong limbs whilst he was unconscious.

First she had offered him, well she called it love, but it was plain sex, and she had tried to stimulate his body into serving her. But whereas being helpless against Melissa and Lukas gently restraining him had relaxed him and turned him on, with this woman, who was obviously more than a little mad, her total control over him had drained his lust and even his usual strong will totally. He was powerless against her, but she could not force him to feel excitement either.

Then she had tried active magic on him, he could see her light up, but somehow he didn't feel any effect on himself, which seemed to make her really angry. Apparently it usually worked. From what she told him she wanted to spell him into obedience, into active love for her, something she had obviously done before.

He had no clue why it didn't work, although, Aphrodite had told them Jakob's shield had foiled the leach-spell, maybe it had foiled this girl's magic as well.

In any case, it had not helped him much, for she had gotten her use out of him in another way, venting her anger by beating him savagely, then hugging him and cuddling him as if to make up. Of course he had not been able to enjoy her attentions, he hadn't trusted her to begin with and now he was positively scared of her.

She told him she hoped to find him more affectionate when she came back, then teleported herself out of the cave.

He had tried to take a good look around him, but it was very dark, he could only hear the surf and smell the dankness of the cave. His face and his body hurt, but not as much as his pride. To have let himself be taken and rendered helpless this easily, he could hardly believe it himself. He was trussed like a pig for slaughter, and could not explore the cave or relieve himself, and he started to realize his captor was not planning to let him live.

He let his mind roam to see if he could find Melissa's anywhere, but she was nowhere to be found. With no idea how far a mind could roam, he decided to keep trying, and to not lose hope to be discovered. He would also behave with a little more dignity, trying to reason despite his submissive position.

Since it was the middle of the night, he soon fell asleep, and he did not wake until his tormentor was sitting next to him, crooning affectionate words and stroking his face and hair. It hurt, and he winced involuntarily. That got him another beating, and after that more caresses, it was clear that this woman was totally out of her senses, he had not a chance of survival. He rolled up in a ball and tried to will his mind somewhere else.

She left without further beatings, and Paul tried to think of better times, no hope at all his friends would even find out who took him, let alone where he was. He would not last long, if he made it until tomorrow he would be lucky.

Day came and he was getting thirsty and had emptied his bladder in the most demeaning way possible hours ago. He had relived Lucy's horrid memories with Lukas and Melissa, but he had not realized that a grown man could be reduced to a similar helpless and humiliated state, in less than twelve hours.

He had thought himself strong, but that was because he had physical strength and powerful magic, and with that taken away he was nothing.

To his horror, she came back, but she brought food and water and cleaned him up as well as she could. She seemed quieter and he almost fell for her affection and caresses, involuntarily pleased to at least not be beaten. Almost, for when he felt nearly human again she tried once again to stimulate him to please her physically, but his body betrayed him once again, he could pretend to trust her but he couldn't force his body to concur.

This time she got really mean, choking him until he saw spots before his eyes, but also biting him until he bled and twisting his privates until he screamed in agony.

When he lost consciousness she had tried to revive him without much success, he had drifted in and out of awareness until she got bored and he saw her teleport herself out of the cave. He knew she would be back for more, and that would be the end of him. After a while he regained consciousness and tried to call for help, again, hopeless to be heard by now.

Melissa tried to think, but something was distracting her thoughts, brushing her mind constantly, vaguely. She concentrated on it for a moment.

Something grabbed her mind in despair, and she gathered power to repel it, until she realized the feeling was unknown and of a painful intensity, but the touch was familiar. Paul! He was trying to reach her, he must be close then. She let him in without reserve, and gasped with intense pain and fear, followed by relief at her recognition.

Darkness surrounded her, and a dank coolness, it felt like a cave of some sort. Paul was barely coherent, he was helpless and had been severely beaten, but he assured her he was not in danger of dying, yet. His magic was useless, the young woman he had danced with had his magic blocked and had beaten him savagely, enjoying it, then left him alone in a dark hole, somewhere near the sea, for he could hear surf crashing on rocks.

'It's Dionysus niece, love, we are on to her but we don't know where she has stowed you. You must be close if we can link minds, do not despair. Hold on, I'm going to speak to Aphrodite. Love you!'

As Melissa was distracted for a moment, Paul found it harder and harder to hang on to his consciousness. But at least he had found Melissa's mind, and he had been able to cling onto it and managed to ask entrance politely, despite feeling more like a frenzied animal than the self-assured, quiet man she knew.

When she had let him in, her sweet love and concern for him felt so good. His body still hurt, but his mind was at peace, his beloved knew his plight and would help him if she could. He let go and a blessed darkness took him.

Swallowing her fear, glad to have some sign of life from him, and some hope, she looked at Aphrodite and said: 'Paul contacted me, his magic is blocked and the woman who holds him enjoys beating him. Dionysus' niece, he said it was her. He is in a cave near the sea, can we scour the coast by ship, let me look through the rocks?'

The goddess took her shoulders in a firm grip, and calmly spoke to her: 'You need to quiet down, panic will not help your love. You think he is near? In a sea cave?'

Melissa nodded.

'Then we'll speak to Ophius, he knows this area best. I'll summon him.' Her face focussed inward for a second, and she continued: 'My brother is already trying to find this woman, so she cannot harm him further. Then we need to find your husband.'

Ophius came in, and Aphrodite said: 'I summoned you because Paul has contacted Melissa and he is hidden somewhere in a cave nearby, his magic bound, by Dionysus' niece.'

Sitting down next to Melissa on the bed, Ophius put an arm around her. He said: 'The rock that this palace is built on is riddled with caves, they even extend below the palace. How can we narrow them down?'

His calm quieted her, and she could think again. 'Paul said he could hear surf, and that he was teleported there. Does that leave traces?'

Lukas now came rushing in and said: 'I cannot find Rhoda anywhere, but did I just catch a glimpse of Paul's mind? He was bad, wasn't he?

'He managed to contact me, told me Dionysus' niece had taken him, bound his magic, teleported him to a cave near the sea. Lukas, he was in pain, and afraid she'd come back and torture him to death, she must be mad!'

'It was Rhoda, Lykos,' Ophius said. 'She is quite powerful and to be honest, I have long thought her ruthless, she has been picking on Vavara as long as she had been stationed here. But lately she has been worse, some guys complained of her being violent. Something must have snapped her sanity, I hope your father can contain her.'

At Lukas' worried look, Aphrodite set off, saying: 'I'll help, I know her sort. We'll be back soon.'

Ophius now looked at Lukas and told him: 'They will manage to detain her, she cannot know her cover has been blown. She probably thought to continue as normal here and torture him to death bit by bit.

But if she does not tell us where he is, he might yet die of exposure, there are thousands of those caves, we cannot reach them all, we cannot even find them all.'

Squeezing Melissa gently, Lukas asked her: 'Do you remember that we were going to practice magic here?' She nodded. 'Well, it is your turn now, Melissa. You are going to think of ways to find Paul with magic. Are you still linked to him?'

She still was, but the link was silent: 'He's unconscious. Can you reach him from here, heal him, or break the bond on his magic?'

'I can't feel him anymore, love, too much stone between us. I could follow you but only when he was aware.'

Suddenly the link flared up, and panic suffused Melissa: 'She's here, and she's going to kill me! With magic! I cannot put up a shield!'

'Anchor me Lukas, I'm going in,' she cried, and as soon as she felt him merge with her she followed the link to Paul and was just in time to throw a shield in front of him, layer after layer, until her power ran dry and habit made her grab for the nearest source, which wasn't even Lukas, but something inside her.

Not caring, she kept up the shields against a rage of magic power, lightning bolts, fireballs, raw power even. The cave was not going to hold up under this assault, it was going to collapse on both Rhoda and Paul, she could sense rocks falling on Paul already, small ones, but any moment now a large block would crush him or the whole ceiling would collapse.

Suddenly the cave became quiet, and Paul let go of his consciousness once more, preventing Melissa from seeing what was going on and sending her back to the now.

Melissa came to in their bed, with Hermes by her side, stroking her hair gently and offering her a glass of water.

She cried out in pain and despair, realizing she had lost her beloved, crushed under masses of stone. What had happened to their holiday? And Lukas, where was he? Why wasn't he with her, had something happened to him too?

'Don't do that, lovely,' Hermes said softly, 'don't worry, everything will be fine. Lykos will have him back to his good old self in no time, and you'll be back in London raising a brood of Victorian children before you know it.'

Did he suggest that Paul was still... 'He's not buried under tons of rock?'

'No, of course not. We're not helpless you know. Rhoda teleported away from under our hands, and we traced the magic, hers was difficult to pinpoint, but when you used mine I knew exactly where to go.

I got your man, and my sister even got to the mad girl before that cave collapsed. Lykos is with him, Paul was hurt quite badly but Lykos manage to heal most of it.'

He gently pushed her head around, and she saw Paul right next to her, sleeping, bruised and scratched, but cleaned up and very much alive.

Relief and shock filled her instantaneously, and she burst out in tears, crying in heaving sobs, unable to control herself for once. Her beloved was still alive! But very soon happiness took over, the tears dried up, and she looked around the room, a blinding headache starting to make her feel like her head was bursting.

Lukas was on Paul's other side, smiling broadly at her, though obviously very tired, and next to Lukas sat Aphrodite, holding him almost possessively. Melissa dismissed a tinge of fear, it was hard to worry with her head one big raging headache, and she merely asked: 'Can I hold him?'

Lukas nodded , still smiling tiredly and Melissa sat up, and promptly retched, straight into a basin Hermes held neatly before her. He handed her a cup of clear water and helped her clean up a little. She looked at him in surprise, how had he known?

'I've had reaction sickness, remember? I know how it feels, and with the amount of energy you used on those shields I knew you'd be nauseous. Let me help you. He half-lifted her towards Paul, and laid her beside him, then left the side of the bed.

Now she lay beside him, Melissa was loath to disturb Paul's rest, he had been through a lot and probably needed rest. But her nearness had already infiltrated his sleep, and his eyes fluttered open, he saw her, and with a heartfelt cry he clung to her, whispering: 'I don't ever want to leave you again, please stay with me always.'

She covered him in little kisses, despite the agonizing headache, and promised: 'I will, I never wanted to leave you and I won't ever again.'

'You saved my life with those shields, they were perfect, layer upon layer. I'm glad I married an engineer. You are in pain, aren't you?' a large, rough hand stroked her copper hair gently, but it couldn't take away the headache. Even nodding hurt, and tears filled her eyes again, it hurt so much and she had been so afraid.

A strong arm lifted her a little, very slowly to prevent nausea, and an elegant hand held a powder before her. 'I've my own stash of painkillers now, I've learned my lesson,' and with that Hermes fed her the powder and some water from the same cup as before.

'Now lie down easily, and get some rest.' The strong arm laid her back beside Paul, who stroked her again and took her in his arms gently.

Lukas now shooed Aphrodite and Hermes out of the room, and laid down next to Melissa, who asked: 'Did I just see Aphrodite claim you, is she in love with you?'

'Naw,' was Lukas' answer, 'she just wants me to make love to her, it's just lust, she'll get over it.'

'And you?' Paul asked.

Positively shyly now, Lukas said: 'I just hope there will still be a place for me at your side, if you won't ever leave the other alone ever again.' Two heads instantly turned towards him, Melissa paying for her abrupt movement with a stab of pain and a wave of nausea.

'Don't be silly, beloved, what would we ever do without you?' Paul berated him.

'I couldn't think of anything myself, but I felt a little left out. I'm sorry. Let me do something for that headache, love, why suffer if you've got me?'

And he kissed Melissa lovingly, lighting up just a tiny bit, the headache receding quickly and her body heating up.

'Too early for that, love, you both need rest. And if you don't mind I'd like to stay with you, trying to keep up with my father on his way to murder Dionysus was quite a trial. Not to mention the return trip. No, the old man can still beat me at any distance.'

'Well, don't let it bother you, he happens to be good at something that is in fact a competition,' said Melissa dryly, and leaving Lukas to think on the meaning of that, she felt Paul snuggling against her, and let herself fall into a deep sleep.

Paul managed to ask: 'Did you really kill Dionysus? Will you tell us tomorrow?'

'I will,' Lukas said, and when they both slept deeply he found himself still wide awake, so he went after his father and aunt to discuss the fate of the girl who had nearly killed his very best friend and lover.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

When the stiffness and the soreness of his body awoke Paul the next morning, Melissa and Lukas were still sleeping like babies. He was usually the last one to wake, Lukas gone off for his morning run and Melissa sometimes watching him sleep, sometimes off to work.

This time he got to see their relaxed faces, anxiety and fear of the previous night and day forgotten for a few hours.

He still had no idea how he had gotten himself into this weird love-triangle, but he had also gotten a glimpse of Aphrodite's possessive look at Lukas and had felt a stab of fear on beholding it. Their friend might be tempted to stay here, he was a god here and quite influential already, he could really create a place for himself with his father on his side and Aphrodite as his lover.

And part of Paul just hoped the goddess would be sufficiently diverted by Lukas to forget that she wanted himself to share her bed too.

After yesterday that would not be easy for him, his friends knew he had been beaten, but he supposed he would have to tell them about the sexual implications as well, they would find out anyway, and he didn't think he would ever be the same person again.

The memories of his total helplessness had him by the throat, he felt frightened even in his bed, with the two people he trusted most in the world within reach. He had shared love on this trip, but he would never do so again, love would be forever tainted for him. Tears threatened, and he swallowed them, what good would it do him to let them fall?

A gentle hand stroked his hair, and he turned to face it to see Lukas sitting next to the bed with tears in his eyes. He said huskily: 'I can feel your pain, beloved, won't you share it with me? I will not use my Gift on it unless you want me to, but sharing it will make the hurt less, and maybe it will make my guilt less, for I feel as if I have put these marks on you myself.'

And Paul did not feel the need anymore to keep his tears back, he took Lukas in his arms, weeping, and held him against his chest, still black and blue and very stiff and tender. And they did not speak, they just opened their minds to one another and shared thoughts and feelings directly.

Paul comforted as much as he was comforted, for Lukas was racked with guilt that he had almost lost his most beloved friend to the world that had already nearly killed himself.

And when they had spent their grief for that moment, Lukas stroked Paul's bruised face, and kissed it, and Paul did not feel fear at his touch.

Instead of returning the touch, he surrendered to it, accepting being caressed, just feeling the hand on his skin. Guided by his empathy, Lukas continued to stroke his friend, feeling the significance of Paul allowing him to touch his violated body, the trust it implied.

'Tell me if you feel fear,' he said, though his empathy would let him know immediately. But Paul would need to set his boundaries all over again, by himself, to prevent the two of them from crossing them inadvertently.

He caressed the chest, already losing some muscle in just a week of inactivity, and he commented: 'You're getting flabby Paul, in just one week.' Now Paul's hand touched Lukas' bare chest and probed his muscle, and retorted: 'You're right, we are.'

And he pressed his face against the mottled chest and inhaled deeply: 'But you smell just as nice. Melissa told me she liked my smell better when I had been working. Can we go home soon? I miss my forge.'

'I miss George,' Lukas said.

'I miss my bicycle,' a voice said from behind them.

They both turned towards Melissa, and Paul said: 'You like your bicycle a lot, don't you? I hope the roads won't turn to mush in winter.'

'How are you, beloved?' she asked in a soft voice, offering her hand instead of touching him.

'Physically, well enough, mentally, not so great. I frighten easily, and the thought of physical love makes me want to hide somewhere.'

Paul was brutally honest, and though Melissa wanted to cry over the damage that had been done to him, she did not. They would see it through together.

'Will you hold me?' she asked.

'You can even stroke me a little,' he replied, taking her in his arms with difficulty, he was really stiff, 'if it frightens me, I'll tell you straight away.'

He kissed her, not forgetting Lukas on his other side.

Melissa didn't dare touch him at first, it would kill her to see fear in his eyes that she caused him. But she really needed to touch him, she always wanted to touch him whenever she saw him, she could not keep her hands off him forever.

It was heartbreaking to see her like this, so afraid to hurt him, his goddess, his copper haired beauty. If she couldn't do it, he would. He took her hand and kissed it, then laid it on his chest. She felt the muscle as if she was judging a horse on a show and said: 'You have lost a lot of muscle! In just one week?'

And that was it, no trauma could stand such trust, such familiarity. He buried his face in her breasts, licked them, then gathered both his loves against him and said: 'I cannot be afraid of you, I love you too much. My balls hurt like hell, which one of you will assess the damage? And do not spare me, be honest.'

'As the owner of a fair set, I think I'm most qualified,' Lukas said, 'you'd better watch the top half for signs of stress.'

Since that was a fair deal, Melissa held Paul and kissed him, whilst Lukas ran his hand down his chest and stomach to his crotch. The stomach was very sensitive, and Paul cringed a little, saying: 'That's just physical pain.'

Stroking Paul's inner thighs softly, Lukas checked his testicles and found them black and blue. Shocked nearly into tears again at the savagery that had caused it, Lukas took a few moments to compose himself, then said: 'They're black and blue all right, may I touch them for a minute? Somehow my healing must have skipped them.'

With a soft voice Paul said: 'You may always touch any part of me, but I wonder if making the physical pain go away won't make the mental pain worse: this way they can heal together, I'll have an excuse not to share love for the rest of our stay.'

Lukas replied: 'If love is forced, it is not shared. You allude to Aphrodite, but you know she will feel your pain nearly as much as I do.

You know I want you to overcome the blow to your self-esteem and the violation of your body by yourself, Paul, and you know I can take away your trauma any second. You got hurt because of me, but I can take it away any time.

But seriously Paul, do you really want to suffer intense physical pain on top of that? I can feel your hurt, and you're still lying on a bed. Do you plan to sit still until you heal? Don't answer yet, just please promise me to tell me when I may take it away from you. Don't suffer a minute longer than you can bear.

I'm going for a run, I've a lot to think of, knowing Dionysus betrayed me wasn't half as hard as hearing the idiot reason from his own mouth. And I've made a promise to someone yesterday, I'll have to keep it. Will you stay with Paul, Melissa?'

'I will, love, but you must promise me to share your grief as well. Go to your aunt, or come back to us once you've a handle on it. Please?'

Melissa held out her arms to him, and he jumped into them, face in her bosom. She squeezed him tightly and pleaded: 'Paul survived, Lukas, he's still with us, and he will recover. Please don't blame yourself. Please realize that this trip has had some good in it as well: you are back with your father, your Gift is under control, Aphrodite is on your father's side more than ever, Katarina is much happier. Let your father and Aphrodite sort out Dionysus, do you think she appreciates being manipulated towards genocide?'

Lukas looked up at her first, then at Paul, who ruffled his curls and said: 'She's turning into her father, always saying sensible things. You look cute. You always do. I love you. And you are right, I hurt even doing nothing. If I want to make the most of people feeling sorry for me, I have to be able to enjoy it. Will you heal my stomach and my balls? Now?'

Eyes overflowing again, Lukas nodded and crawled over Melissa to very carefully touch Paul's bruised testicles. He lighted up the tiniest bit, then did the same thing with Paul's stomach. Paul's face was a study in relief, he really had been suffering.

With a sweet smile Lukas looked up and said: 'I've left them a tiny bit blue, so you can feel rightfully sorry for yourself and enjoy being spoiled to make up for it. Back soon!'

And Lukas left the room, a bit brighter, but certainly not his usual self.

Paul tightened his hold on Melissa and observed: 'He was as close to angry at me as he could get, wasn't he?'

She shook her head and said: 'As close as he could get angy with you, maybe, but I saw Lukas really angry yesterday, Dionysus' treason really hurt him very deeply, and he was so afraid to lose you.' And she told him all that happened, from her flight in Hermes' arms to the message Zeus had given her.

This made Paul thoughtful, and he said: 'You know I've never given much thought to the possibility of you getting pregnant. You have a job, like us, but of course it can happen any time. Would you mind having a baby? It can be dangerous, you know, lots of women die in childbirth.'

Men were different, Melissa thought, for she had certainly spent many nights thinking of the consequences of their lovemaking. She had hoped Lukas was infertile, for a child with hoofs and a tail would not have a life in England.

But she didn't want a child of Paul either, she was just not ready to have a child, yet, the responsibility. And why did it have to be she who had them, the discomfort of the pregnancy, the danger of childbirth. It was so unfair, she had a good job and a nice life, she did not want to spoil that with having to take care of a helpless child.

She said honestly: 'I have thought about it often, and I don't want a child yet. I don't want to give up my work, and I don't want to be big and fat and clumsy. I like children, when they are someone else's.'

Her honesty shocked him, and he said: 'I'm sorry you feel that way. But it is my responsibility too, you wouldn't have to deal with a child on your own. I can work my own hours, and I'm sure Lukas loves children.

And maybe you won't get pregant for some time. Or do you want Lukas to see if he can prevent it? He might be able to do it here.'

'I don't know, love, first I want you to be better, and not afraid of my touch. And then we need to decide what to do, go home or try to get some better memories of this place. I'd hate to flee it with the memory of my fear stuck to it forever. I like Hermes now, I like Katarina and Galan, I like Ophius, and even Aphrodite.'

Nodding in assent, Paul observed: 'You are so right, I would hate to remember just this, I'd rather see those sweet satyrs cured and happy again, and I'd like to make a better forge for Galan, and use magic openly for some more time. I was looking forward to doing some iron-work with magic. But I do not want to share love ever again, and I do not want to have eyes in the back of my head all the time.'

'Would you mind very much if I shared one more time?' Melissa asked carefully.

'Did you like Hermes that much?' Paul asked, suddenly curious how that went, he'd totally forgotten.

She smiled and said: 'Oh, it was nice enough, he was sleek and smooth and very sweet, but no, I didn't mean him. I kind of liked the thought of sharing with Aphrodite, and we kind of promised. She'll understand you not wanting to be intimate with another woman, I'm sure of that, but when I think of that kiss I want to take the next step.'

'Can I watch?' Apparently that thought excited Paul even in his current state.

'Supposing she'd even want me without you, there would always be a risk you'd get involved, you realize that, don't you?'

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. At their invitation, Hermes and Aphrodite marched in and sat on the bed next to Melissa.

'Lykos out?' Hermes asked. Melissa answered: 'He went for his morning run, and he said he had a promise to fulfill at Dionysus' place. Don't know what he meant by that.'

Hermes chuckled and said: 'I think I know, a girl he knew there helped us, she had him promise to visit her later and tell her all about his disappearance. She was very beautiful, I guess he'll take his time consoling her for his sudden disappearance.'

'Or she will console him for the things Dionysus put him through,' Paul sniggered.

Melissa was amazed to see that Aphrodite was not amused by the thought of Lukas sharing his love with some unknown mortal girl.

She said cheekily: 'Don't you think it is unhealthy not to share, Aphrodite?'

To her credit, the goddess laughed, and replied: 'I thought sharing with me was healthy enough for Lykos, but I guess I was wrong.' Despite her laugh, she seemed really hurt by this realization, which surprised Melissa unpleasantly.

'Lykos doesn't always share for his own health, though I think he always enjoys it,' was Melissa's comment.

Aphrodite was obviously impressed by this insight, and her mood brightened, as she observed: 'You are so right, Lykos is who he is, and we should be glad to be part of his life. I wish he would stay here, I wish you would all stay.'

Melissa shook her coppery hair and said: 'We're too independent for this world, you'd wish us gone within the month. Better enjoy the occasional visit, you can even visit us in London.'

Not taking any offense at all, Aphrodite acceded: 'That thought did occur to me, oh well, we'll just have to make the best of the time we have left then.'

Hermes asked: 'You will stay a little longer, won't you? If you leave now you'll always associate our world with fear and pain, I hoped you would agree to spend some more time here in a real holiday, no problems, no danger, just plain fun. You can stay in the villa.'

'I'd like to spend some more time with Lykos,' Aphrodite said, 'not just to please me in bed, I can teach him a lot of things, we have the same Gift, and I've been around much, much longer. Will you consider staying a sevenday more?'

This was directed mainly at Paul, who clearly had the most reason to want to leave.

He was in obvious doubt, and said: 'Part of me wants to be safe at home, just the three of us, working, loving, having fun. But part of me wants to see how Lykos' people are doing, freed of the spell, live amongst them for a while, help Galan build a better forge, make beautiful things here, swim and bask in the heat, look at the dolphins playing.

But I don't want to be hunted anymore, I don't want to share, I never liked it and it positively scares me now.'

Melissa took his hand quietly, and Aphrodite kneeled beside him, not touching but offering a hand. She said: 'Lykos probably already offered you to take the pain and the fear away, so you must have a reason to have refused it.

I release you from your promise to share love with me, but I want you to consider that I could also help you process what was done to you without using the Gift. I am the goddess of love, and love was spoiled for you under my nose. I'd like to set that to rights, but I will not force you in any way. Though I'll be sorry to miss out on your lovely wife as well.'

Touched by her concern for a mere mortal, even though the mere mortal was himself, Paul took her hand, and felt no fear.

He said: 'Lykos thought it would be best if I tried to conquer the fear by myself first, having been totally helpless he wanted me to feel strong again.

And thank you for letting me out of my promise, Lykos said you would not force me, and my divine wife wants to share with you after all.'

Finding herself locked in Aphrodite's hungry gaze, Melissa was almost sorry she'd said that, but she was no longer afraid of these two particular gods, she trusted them to respect her as she trusted George and Tristan, who were also powerful people.

Of course that got a reaction from Hermes, who observed: 'All right, sis, don't frighten the girl, let me get a word in first.

I need to go with Katarina and Galan today, see Ophelie, see how things are with the spell removed, have a permanent teleport installed in their house so we can keep in touch. I'll be back tomorrow, do you feel safe enough if Aphrodite stays here with you until then?'

Paul and Melissa both nodded.

'Once the teleport is there, maybe we can stay nights at the villa, enjoy privacy, sea, good food, modern conveniences, and days with Katarina and Galen, check on the people, work a little, play a lot. Please think about it, and please tell Lykos once he gets back. What do you say?'

The idea appealed to all of them, and Melissa answered: 'I think it is a great idea. We'll let you know when you return. Good luck with your family and your people.'

She embraced him and kissed him, remembering their loving with warmth, feeling much easier around him than she had before. He felt like a really good friend now, sharing love with him had been a good decision, though a small voice inside her said that if she hadn't, Paul would not have been taken.

When Hermes had left, Aphrodite asked Paul: 'Do you want to remain with us whilst your divine wife and I play a little, or do you want us to wait until Lykos gets back?'

A beautiful smile appeared on her face, and she observed: 'I can see the answer to that question already, may I suggest we make use of my brother's excellent facilities?

He has a lovely warm pool that would soak the aches right out of your body. Breakfast first?'

She blanked out for a moment, and within half an hour they had breakfasted in bed, very lazy. But after breakfast Paul became restless, and Melissa soon helped him out of the bed and to the pool.

The pool was the most beautiful thing ever. The room was rather large, with colums supporting the roof and extensive decorations on the walls, views on well-known ancient Greek landmarks, only not in ruins yet, but in bloom, painted in three dimensions so they looked almost real.

The floors were all tiled in decorative patterns, except for the bottom of the large pool, which was a large sea view mosaic with a cliff jutting into the sea, ships and dolphins dotting the surface of the water, sea-creatures and mermaids below the waterline. It was stunning.

The pool was large enough and deep enough to swim in, and Paul slowly discarded his shirt to plunge in. He was still black and blue all over, he had trouble raising his arms above his head, and he did not wear trousers yet, they chafed him.

'This is going to be wonderful,' he predicted, 'it will be so good to just float and think of nothing. Thank you for bringing us here, Aphrodite.'

'My pleasure, Paul, if there is anything I can do for you please let me know.'

Melissa had a hard time, seeing him stand upright still in so much pain reminded her of the night he asked her to marry him, in the little cellar between the storage shelves, the deepest darkest cupboard where the portal was hidden and the big boiler.

She couldn't help herself, she just had to hold him, he could have been killed, again, why was it always Paul who suffered so much pain, and this time, such humiliation?

He saw her face and said: 'Come to me, Melissa,' and opened his arms.

She wanted to cling to him but didn't dare, but he took her in a firm grip despite his injuries, and held her against him, stroking her hair, and mumbling sweet nonsense in her ear.

Carefully removing her dress and entering the pool, the beautiful goddess saw that this was not the time to intrude on the couple, fear of death had a large impact on mortals, and Paul did look horrible with wounds and bruises all over him, including his privates and his handsome face.

She had examined the girl who had done this to him, together with Lykos, and they had both been shocked at what they had found in her mind.

Aphrodite had burned out her magic, a nasty procedure that usually left the victim broken, but they had not seen another option, someone capable of such violence without provocation was summarily dealt with in both her and her brother's realm. Lykos had been physically sick afterwards, but he had witnessed the entire procedure with determination.

Lykos might make love to Aphrodite with fervour, and he might enjoy her company very much, picking up every bit of information she offered him, even loving her in his own way, but his heart and soul were Paul's.

She knew Lykos had the reputation of innocence and goodness, but the man who had stood beside her and watched her deal out the justice of the gods had shown neither.

She supposed that was why he had ran off that morning, he had his own feelings to deal with before he saw to his friend's.

Aphrodite would have liked to deal the same justice to Dionysus, but he was in the custody of her father, and her father was a lot milder in his verdicts where gods were concerned. Though his wife somehow seemed to have spite against the chubby god of wine, she would help to give Dionysus his due, Aphrodite was not going to let him get away with what he had done.

She was still swimming lazily when Paul and Melissa had finished their intimacies and joined her in the pool.

'I'm sorry, Aphrodite, that was rude of me,' Melissa said. 'But seeing Paul like this brought it all back, my fear, my loneliness, the last time he was hurt this bad, shot with a gun.'

Paul must have seen her expression as she was swimming, as she remembed what she had had to do last night and thinking of what she'd like to do to Dionysus, for he looked very afraid of her, and she was very sorry to have caused him extra pain.

'You saw me scowl really nastily just now, didn't you?' she asked forthrightly, nothing less would do, this had to be dealt with or they'd be back in England before Lykos was back.

He couldn't speak, she knew they had heard things of her, and she was sure he thought she was showing her real face at being rejected by her promised lover.

'I take that as a yes. I'm sorry Paul, that after living through such an ordeal you had to witness me in a weak moment. Will you please believe me that my anger was due to seeing the state you are still in, after Lykos spent nearly an hour healing your hurts? I anchored him and saw some of the things that were done to you.

And will you believe I remembered seeing Rhoda last night, with Hermes and Lykos, and entering her mind and finding it a pit of filth. How the task of removing her Gift fell to me, and how the look on Lykos' face as he witnessed me doing it still haunts me?

And then I thought how Dionysus will probably avoid being punished, and that made me very angry all over again, for he would have had me killing satyrs, slaughtering innocents, because he had seen fit to spell them into insurgence.

Again, I'm sorry you had to see that, after what you have been through. I wish I could make it up to you, but I cannot. I cannot even give you the comfort of a hug. Please forgive me.

Let's just swim a little, and try to calm down, and think about love some other time.'

She offered Melissa a hand into the pool, which she fortunately took, taking Paul with her. Melissa was even more stunning naked. She was very pale, and very well-formed, beautiful curves all in perfect symmetry.

Her pubic hair was exactly the same copper colour as her hair, and Aphrodite wanted to kiss her so much. But they had had enough for one day, there was only so much that mortals could bear, and these two needed to be alone right now.

She got up and said: 'Again, I'm sorry I frightened you Paul. I'm still so incredibly happy with the lovely necklace you made for me. Please have trust in me to protect you until Lykos and Hermes come back. If something happens, just call out my name, and I'll find you nearly as fast as Hermes would. Enjoy your swim!'

She left the pool to pick up a towel from a table in the corner, and dried herself carefully. Then she went to pick up her dress, and knowing their eyes would follow her, she walked upright and proud.

'Please don't go,' Paul said huskily. 'I don't want to be like a rabbit, always afraid something will hurt me. I want to be me again, and Paul Kenwick is not afraid of a woman who has proven herself to be reliable.

I am not giving in to fear, I was strong and bossy, and I will be again. Will you hug me? Carefully?'

He held out his arms to her, and Aphrodite dropped the towel, got back in the pool and embraced him. She felt his arms close around her, and it felt good. He was not shaking, and when she looked up at him he did not clamp his jaw, or show any other sign of stress.

She nuzzled his neck, and he smelled really good. To break the tension she said to Melissa: 'He smells nice!' Melissa smiled and Paul commented: 'Melissa tells me I smell even better when I have been at the forge, sweaty and cured with smoke.' 'And don't forget the etching fluid,' Melissa added, 'it adds a certain exciting flavour.'

Aphrodite smiled and observed: 'My husband is a smith too, and I agree, he smells nice when he has been at work. Though I don't know what etching fluid is, nor what 'gun' means.'

Nibbling the goddess' earlobe, Paul said: 'Why don't you sit between us in the shallow end of the pool, and we'll tell you what a gun is. Etching fluid is boring smiths' stuff, it would send you to sleep. May I kiss you?'

'Just to challenge your fear?' Aphrodite asked. 'Yes, is that a problem?' was his answer.

In reply, she offered her mouth to him, and he did kiss her, carefully, and she realized just in time she'd better answer it carefully too, for when she did indeed kiss him she tasted wounds on his tongue and on the inside of his mouth, his face had been trashed so badly that it was a miracle he hadn't lost any teeth. Lykos had healed the broken jaw easily enough, but there was no way to replace lost teeth.

After that kiss they did each sit on one side of her, and told her what a gun was. It was not easy to understand how it worked, but once she did, she was glad once again to live in this world.

To think Paul had made such a fearsome weapon to stop her brother from taking Lykos away from them.

Of course, Hermes was not a god on their world, and they weren't used to gods interfering with people, but still, his self-control must be incredible to just set aside fear to protect his friend. It was the same self-control that allowed him to come from fear of herself to loving attention in less than a minute.

During the explanation Aphrodite had felt a soft hand on her body, exploring her belly, her breasts, her inner thighs, and the thought that the large, curved woman next to her was taking liberties with her excited her not a little.

A larger, rather rough hand joined the soft one, its explorations were not rough, strong as it was it stroked her gently. That hand had shaped those tiny dolphins of her necklace, and she wanted it to touch more of her, and she wanted to touch both him and Melissa in her turn.

Her hand stroking Melissa was firm and forward, feeling the large, heavy breasts, and the lovely soft, padded curves.

Her other hand, caressing Paul, was much more delicate, avoiding erogenous places, just stroking innocuous bits of skin very gently, an arm, a shoulder, a very nice and muscled chest. It was difficult, giving attention to two bodies at once, and with different levels of heat, but she was a goddess with a vast mind and she managed just fine.

Guessing Paul would rather touch than be touched, Melissa set Aphrodite floating on the water, holding her head up with one arm and kissing her passionately. It was very different and very hot, kissing a woman, and Melissa loved the idea of lavishing love upon this woman together with her beloved man.

She looked at him, and instantly saw that he thought exactly the same thing. Paul took over the kissing part, glad the goddess was very careful again, for his mouth was very sensitive, everything had the potential to hurt badly when touched a little too firmly.

After the kiss he moved towards her beautiful breasts, each no more than a handful, but still very attractive, and tasty. He sucked the nipples greedily, and felt his body relax a lot. Was it her touch, or was it just being active? He didn't know, he just enjoyed the feeling of relief, and of being able to feel lust.

Melissa was between Aphrodite's legs now, fondling the thighs, stroking the pubic hair, feeling for what she knew was in there, but had never seen for herself.

Paul watched her for a while, his beautiful engineer, undoubtedly studying a woman's parts with some detachment, thinking of what would work.

When she finally spread the curly haired, fleshy labia and experimentally applied her tongue to what was beneath them, Paul felt an arm tighten around him, and he turned his attention back to the goddess in his arms and kissed her, a bit afraid she'd hurt him in her passion, but soon reassured by her continuing tenderness.

Holding Aphrodite in his arms, feeling a strange and powerful woman so close to him was enough of a challenge for the moment, Paul did not feel the urge yet to become more active. He watched his lady with pleasure and felt his erection rising with his excitement, but he did not feel much inclination to do anything with it yet.

He didn't think he would be able to perform anyhow, with his balls still tender, and his stomach painful and all his muscles cramped, though they were loosening nicely in the warm water, with a lot of his fear and tension draining away.

The goddess in his arms was now moaning with passion, and wanted something in her mouth, so he kissed her again, and still she was gentle with him. He started to get some visions of some other part of him in that mouth, and he enjoyed that idea very much.

It was great to feel heat, to imagine being touched by a horny woman, it made him feel strong, and wanted.

Feeling a shudder running through Aphrodite, he knew she had climaxed, and to be sure, she now turned the tables on Melissa, floating her in the water and exploring her luscious thighs and belly and breasts. Soon, she was licking lustily, and Melissa was shivering in bliss, and Paul's excitement was rising quite steeply.

He kissed Melissa now, his heat transferring to her, though he almost hurt himself being so passionate. Even through her bliss she saw him, and she whispered: 'Go indulge yourself, I'm sure you will be very welcome.'

He whispered back: 'But I can't thrust, I'd crush my own tender bits.'

'Do it slowly then,' she gasped, attention drawn away from him, by an especially good trick he guessed. The goddess must have done this before, eternal life must get boring after a few centuries, and sex in all its shapes was probably one of the best diversions.

He made his decision and moved towards Aphrodite, stroking her back and her bottom eagerly, feeling quite self-conscious about just taking a goddess. But she knew what he was thinking of doing, for she presented herself to him, encouraged him.

Stroking her soft bottom, feeling the enticing place beneath it, he guided himself towards it and entered her with some trepidation. She received him with a cry of encouragement, then went back to her greedy ministrations of his wife.

It was a bit painful, his stomach made itself felt, and his balls dangled painfully, even with the water supporting them, but the feeling of bliss was worth it. He thrust a little, seeing how far he could go without the hurt exceeding the bliss, and it was very acceptable.

Taking his time, and holding her hip with one hand, the other stimulating her clitoris gently, she seemed to appreciate his efforts, even though they were very moderate due to his hurt in, well, everything.

His penis seemed to have gotten off best, though the shaft had been mangled, apparently she had saved the sensitive part for a later stage, and the shaft had turned out rather durable. Well, he was not going to think about that, but just enjoy what use he had of it.

Despite his tame performance, he felt Aphrodite shudder again, and without a spoken word Aphrodite removed herself from him and offered him his wife as a kind of gift, floating on the water as she had been all this time, legs still held apart by the goddess' loving hands.

As he took the offer, and felt himself enter her familiar warmth, Melissa moaned and kissed Aphrodite passionately.

Still not reaching any kind of speed, Melissa seemed to enjoy his action nonetheless, and he fondled her breasts, kissed both women intensely but still very carefully, and seriously found Melissa arching in a high. She must have been very close when Aphrodite let her go, for his feeble attempt at love-making could hardly have done the job.

And then he had to swallow a few times, for Melissa sat up, and both women now turned their attention to him. Melissa laid him on his back in the water, and when he had surrendered to her touch, forcing himself to stay down, trusting her to keep him safe, she stroked his hair and kissed him tenderly.

As she held him very close, safe against her ample bosom, able to see what was happening but not required to react to it because Melissa was with him, Aphrodite stroked him very softly. She stroked his chest, his stomach, his thighs, his buttocks, and nothing hurt, her touch was so light.

And then she bent over him and kissed his battered testicles, and even that didn't hurt. A feeling of peace and quiet came over him, and he managed to relax into his beloved's arms.

Very slowly, the goddess of love took hold of his penis, looked him straight in the eye, and let him feel a few tricks that Lukas would murder to know of.

Oh my, but that was good, somehow he suspected she had not done that to Lukas yet, her ultimate triump, the goddess over the master.

Lucky for him he had no need to prove himself, he let go of all thoughts and held on to his beautiful woman until he lost all reason and came in an explosion of bliss.

When he felt almost real again, he said: 'So that is why people share love, to learn and to teach. Wait till Lukas finds out about this, George will have a heart-attack.'

Aphrodite laughed and said: 'The other Englishman, George. Lykos does not know of this yet, and please don't tell him or let him feel it. I'm saving it for a special occasion, and then he can pass it on to George and whomever he wants.'

Still a bit dazed, Paul embraced the goddess heartily, and said: 'Thank you for honouring me with the first demonstration, I bet you're saving it for your coronation to mistress as well as goddess of love. You're the best.'

She laughed heartily and commented: 'For men maybe, but for women, he is the very best, the true master of love. And for men, at least the second best, so all in all he takes the honours I'm afraid. But since I love him dearly, I don't mind.

And you must be not only the most artistic, but the bravest man as well. Which is why you got it first. I hope you feel better.'

Amazed, Paul realized: 'I do, I feel much better. Thank you. I hope Lykos won't notice, he wanted to handle it if I couldn't manage myself.'

'I didn't heal anything, Paul, that was your own will, and a lot of love, but no Gift involved. You have so much trust in Melissa, and she trusted me. Love did the rest. I love my job. Mostly. Yesterday I hated it for a while, seeing love perverted, having to act.'

With a worried look, Paul now asked: 'Did you just tell us Lykos accompanied you into the mind of the woman who abused me? And that you took her Gift from her, and Lykos watched you do it? Wasn't that a horrible sight?'

'It was, yes. The filth in her mind made him reel, and he was determined to watch me burn her out, I guess he felt the need for retribution, but afterwards he was physically sick, and when he left he was in distress. Didn't you notice?'

'He seemed fine this morning, he was distressed because he felt my fear and my pain, and a lot of guilt, but we shared feelings, and he convinced me to let him take the physical pain away. I felt no anger in him. Was it really bad to watch, did she scream, cry, what did Lykos see?'

Paul knew Lukas could not have confided in him that morning, his dear friend must have been devastated not to be able to share his grief. Although, he could detach. They didn't notice because he loved them intensely, but Lukas would feel a certain detachment towards other people. And this woman had hurt him so badly, and Lukas loved him so much.

Aphrodite spoke again, and it was clear she hated to mete out judgement: 'It is terrible, even to me. We only do it when we're certain the perpetrator will strike again and again, with powerful magic. I had to do it because Hermes said he couldn't do large magics for half a year, and Lykos concurred. Lykos wasn't strong enough yet, this is very difficult.

I battled the madness and the power in her, then blocked her Gift and located the places where she keeps her power, and destroyed them.

The procedure usually leaves the mortal burnt out, and she will have to be confined and cared for until she dies. Usually that doesn't take long.

Executing them would be kinder, but our father doesn't allow us to kill mortals over crimes committed against mortals. It is horrible to watch, and we told Lykos to leave, but he insisted on witnessing the procedure, he looked like a statue.

I hope he will open up to you if it still bothers him.'

They dried off and dressed, and Paul felt a certain pride to see two such beautiful women with the fruits of his labour gracing their throats. He still saw himself as a craftsman, not as an artist, but he had eyes, and he could see his work was excellent.

Most of his body still hurt when he moved, but the stiffness was a lot less, and most important of all, he was not as frightened anymore, he felt a lot of his old spirit returned, and rather quickly. Now he just wanted Lukas back to see if he was all right, and all would be well.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When Paul and Melissa arrived back in their room, Lukas was already there, looking a bit lost to have found it empty. He was so happy to see them, and Paul could not believe this cute, innocent looking young man had been watching the murder of someone's personality without protesting against such cruelty.

But Lukas had seen him just after he had been saved. Of course Paul himself hadn't noticed, he had been unconscious when Hermes had brought him back from the cave, covered in his own filth, blood and chalk dust, beaten half to death, with internal injuries, broken bones, bite-marks and totally bruised.

An hour to heal him, he must have been pretty bad, and Lukas had seen everything in detail, felt his pain, and later his fear to be touched, to be helpless. Maybe Paul could understand him after all.

He found himself enveloped by Lukas' arms, the boyish face against his chest, but not touching it for fear of causing him pain.

Their dear friend showed no sign of detachment at all, he was clearly in need of some serious comforting, which strangely enough made Paul feel even stronger.

He was sure Lukas knew, or he would not have sought solace with him, and they moved to the bed together.

This time they did talk about the things that had happened, including the meting out of justice, Lukas having found himself part of the class that had all the power.

They talked for an hour, staying in close contact all this time, and after their heart-to-heart talk they all felt ready to look ahead once more, though Paul was nodding a little, clearly exhausted and in need of sleep.

Hesitantly, Lukas asked him: 'Beloved, I was going to ask Melissa to share love, if she consents, do you want us to leave or stay?'

Eyebrows raised, Paul inquired: 'Didn't you meet with a certain young friend of Dionysus'? '

'I did, but we only talked, I thought she'd want to make love, but I caught her feelings, they were very strong. She is very much in love with Dionysus, and I can understand why, though it may be hard for you to believe. He can be very sweet and loving.

Hailee was worried sick about Dionysus, said he was not a bad person, just very afraid all the time, she said someone was egging him on to do these things, but she didn't dare tell me who. Said that was his own decision.

I'm sorry for her, she was really scared, of the person who put him up to his misdeeds, but also for him, she was afraid never to see him again.'

Paul looked at his friend with some concern: 'Poor girl. I'm afraid she may be right, Aphrodite and Hermes both want his hide.

Please stay with me, I wish I could watch, but I'm really tired, I think I need to sleep. Will you spoil me a little first?'

As his dear friend gave in to his sleepiness, Lukas was all over him, making him comfortable, fluffing his pillow, stroking his hair, and when Paul had closed his eyes and his body relaxed in sleep, Lukas kissed him once more, very gently on his discoloured cheek, and turned towards Melissa, fire in his eyes now.

He merely asked: 'May I make love to you?'

A heartfelt 'Yes, please,' was her answer.

But first, they touched each other, not eagerly but merely intimately, finding support in the familiarity of the other's body, which they knew so well, Melissa could have drawn each of Lukas' mottles from memory, and he knew her every curve, and every freckle.

'Hmm, this is good,' he mumbled, 'just like being home.'

'What's it like to be a god, Lukas? By the way, we've taken to calling you Lykos to your family and friends here, but Lukas to yourself, which do you prefer?'

Still feeling, nuzzling and kissing, he replied: 'I like Lukas best, I don't mind you calling me by my old name here, but the man I am now has chosen to be called Lukas, and I see myself as Lukas. I look up when someone says Lykos, because it is a habit, and people say it with love. But it is not really who I am.

That also answers your first question, I don't feel like a god at all, so I couldn't tell you. I have a lot of power and a lot of love, but you gave me those before, I don't want worship.'

He took her in his arms and kissed her again, ardour rising, and said: 'You helped me become who I am now, I love you so much, Melissa. And Paul, I can't think of a life without him, and he was so much stronger already. I'm so glad to have the both of you, and to know Paul will be fine.'

Their comfortable familiarity soon turned towards decided heat, and they made love with energy, freeing themselves of negative feelings.

Afterwards Melissa told Lukas about Hermes' proposal to stay a week longer to gain some pleasant holiday memories before they went back to England.

Lukas really wanted to see how his people settled after being freed of the spell, and he wanted to help his father find a real place among them, and enjoy swimming in the beautiful sea, learning more about his Gift from Aphrodite, in short, he liked the proposal.

'I also want to be present when my family deals with Dionysus. I want to speak to him, tell him what he did to me, what he did to his niece. If you can accept staying a week more, I will be glad to. But if you want to go back immediately, I will pack up and leave everything behind without regrets, it's your call, or mostly his.'

And he looked at Paul, who was still sleeping, oblivious all this time to their talking and even their lovemaking. Lukas' expression was filled with love, he obviously had to control himself not to touch his friend, until Paul's expression suddenly changed into fear and he whimpered softly.

His body rolled itself into a ball, and froze.

Now Lukas did touch Paul, but he did not stroke him for fear of making things worse, he led Paul's hand to his own curly head, to the horns that had been of such importance to their relationship, and indeed, as the hand explored the horns and started to scratch them, the body uncurled and turned towards Lukas, the other hand starting to feel for the body that should be close.

When it had found Lukas' slim shape, it stroked the bare back strongly, eagerly, then moved towards the buttocks and of course, the little tail.

With one hand on his horns and one on his bottom, Lukas couldn't help getting fired up, but the hands weren't done yet. They lifted his slender body right off the bed, and deposited it on top of his own.

Paul's face was no longer fearful, it showed some pain when he lifted Lukas and again when he dumped him on top of his bruised body, but all in all Paul seemed very satisfied with the result of his actions.

He wrapped Lukas in his arms tightly, eyes still closed, rolled on to his side with Lukas partially beneath him, then mumbled: 'That's better, feel safe now, thanks love.' And he appeared to be asleep again, were it not that one hand still explored Lukas' naked flesh with relish.

The fire in Lukas' eyes was not extinguished yet, but there was no need in them, he was happy just where he was, have that large rough hand stroke him. And after a few minutes it searched his face, taking him by the neck to pull him close, and kissing him greedily, eyes as yet unopened.

Slowly, Paul's body came back to consciousness, kissing Lukas and still stroking him. Despite having made love twice already that day, Melissa found herself quite stimulated by this scene, until Paul finally opened his eyes and said in a completely normal voice: 'That was great, Lukas. I'm hungry, shall we go find some lunch?'

And when the two guys had their excitement under control, they dressed and went to the main hall to find someone who could provide them with a nice meal.

They spent the rest of that day in bed together, catching up on the sleep they had missed and in Paul's case, giving his body the best chance to heal.

When Lukas woke up refreshed and found his beloved friends still sleeping, he sought out Aphrodite, who was very pleased to give him some instruction and some loving, after which they talked until it was time for dinner.

When Melissa woke up the next morning, Lukas was already gone, supposedly on his morning run. Though there were even fewer paths around the palace, everything Hermes' household needed was delivered by boat, during their hunt for Dionysus Lukas had discovered he didn't need a path anymore to run, like his father he could run across anything, rocks, water, forest, his hoofs hardly touched the ground, he seemed to fly.

So from now on, Lukas would probably revive his old habit of running each morning until he nearly dropped, his chest muscles softening with lack of exercise but his leg muscles developing even more, as he enjoyed the freedom he would miss out on once they were back in England, running on his bare hoofs and running as fast as he could, blurring to anyone watching him pass by.

She supposed he would visit Aphrodite after his run, make love in the pool or in the Mediterranean. Lukas would miss Aphrodite as well, after all his lonely years he seemed to fit in much better amongst his family. Was that just his rise to godhood?

Fortunately Paul was still asleep, Lukas gone off and Paul still there, that was what things should be like when she woke up in the morning. Her beloved husband was in total rest, face still black and blue as a reminder of his ordeal.

He was right, as long as his feelings were still shaken by his horrible experience, it was better his body still show the signs, people would be much more considerate of him.

Once they went back to Katarina's village, he would undoubtedly have scores of ladies trailing him, since they had all been cured of monogamy. His battered appearance would give him a perfect excuse to refuse to share love.

Used to making love in the mornings, Melissa felt rather heated, and she thought it was a shame to waste the cool morning. They could laze in the afternoon, now it was time to see whether her man felt like a little loving.

If he didn't, she would try Lukas later, but he was probably making the most of the time he had left here.

Following Lukas' excellent example yesterday, she did not stroke Paul, but she took his hand and placed it on her breast, and at the same time she gently scratched his curly head, as if he were Lukas.

He did wake with a shock instead of slowly, but he did not shy away, he recognized the feel of her and fondled the breast, putting his other hand on the other breast. His eyes, now open, showed fire, and he kissed her, still very carefully.

Melissa could still taste the wounds in his mouth, but less strongly, they were already healing. And she guessed he was either in less pain, or in a lot of heat, for his kisses soon became pretty intense, and his hands on her body likewise.

She felt free to stroke him too, and he enjoyed her attentions, but when the time came to take the next step he excused himself: 'I'm sorry, love, but I'm afraid I cannot love you yet, my jaw is still very painful, and I can't thrust better than yesterday. I do feel heated though, very much so, and your touch sets me on fire.'

'It does?' Melissa was truly glad to hear that, 'then let me do something with that.'

She kneeled over him and lavished attention on his perfectly normal erection, and he was really heated, for he moaned from the very first time her tongue touched him.

Because he was so incredibly excited, she planned to use those tricks on him she had learned from Lukas, to make him last. Her own heat was throbbing now, pushing her to sit on that nice firm penis instead of licking it, but that would undoubtedly hurt Paul.

She was just about to shift her attention to some other sensitive part of her lover, to make him last longer, when she was suddenly filled up from behind, and her lust exploded inside of her, causing her to cry out in surprise and elation.

She knew it had to be Lukas, she now recognized his touch on her hips, as he plunged in and out of her with energy, but she also realized instantly that Paul would not have let anyone else surprise her that way.

Coming in, he must have been unable to withstand the temptation of her view from behind, enticing him to plunge in, winking at Paul to keep him from giving away the surprise.

It was hard to stay cool towards Paul with her own body sending her signals of extreme bliss, she wanted to pass them on to let Paul feel the exact same ecstasy, but that would end his enjoyment in seconds, when she could make him last for minutes.

And she did manage to trick his senses into ever greater bliss without allowing him release, his face looking almost pained in extreme lust. Meanwhile, Lukas was stroking her breasts with heat, bending over her in the throes of his own ardour.

She was the first to come, and her intense feeling at the release caused Paul's climax. Lukas didn't last much longer, and they fell on the bed laughing.

Lukas said humbly: 'A long time ago I promised you I would never enter you without consent. I hope you don't mind my doing it now, it would have spoiled the surprise.'

'And I caught his eye and encouraged him to do it,' Paul admitted, 'I saw him come in. You should have seen the look on his face when his eyes fell on that sight, our beloved friend looked positively greedy.'

'I did, it looked so enticing, I couldn't resist.' Lukas was so incredibly cute and loveable when he was cheeky.

Melissa looked straight at him and said: 'It was a wonderful surprise, I was nearly overcome with heat myself. You may forget that promise, I trust you totally to not do anything against my will or in unsuitable situations.'

He moved over Paul's body, very carefully, and kissed her lovingly.

'Did you have a good run?' Paul asked, 'I guessed you'd have had your share of loving by now.'

'I had,' Lukas admitted, 'I had a swim with Aphrodite afterwards and we frolicked in the sea, very satisfying. But that view just blew me away.

By the way, my father is back. He nearly came with me.'

That had all three of them laughing until their sides hurt.

After breakfast they packed their bags and teleported to the villa, installing themselves in their former room, ready to really enjoy their holiday. Ophius was not coming, since Hermes was going to be away from his palace for a few days, the trusted mage was needed there to keep things going.

It reminded Paul of his promise to tell Hermes more about delegating, there must be many more dependable men and women among his staff who could run part of the operation, freeing Hermes for the duties only he could fulfill, and for his family.

To Paul's surprise, Aphrodite had come with them, taking the room originally meant for Lukas, and Paul suspected Lukas would spend a lot of time there, knowing his friends were safe and sound in the next room.

Aphrodite treated Paul with a gentle kindness that she showed no-one else, and he supposed she still felt sorry for him, for having been tormented right under her feet. Miraculously he didn't resent her kind attentions to him, they didn't make him feel weak, just, well, less expendable. Safe, actually. It was as if she really cared what happened to him.

She saw him look at her and her expression changed instantly, to a kind of mildness, not pity or condescension, just kind attentiveness, and she came towards him and very slowly, very carefully laid a hand on his shoulder. With a certain detachment Paul noticed his body didn't flinch from her, apparently his subconscious deemed her safe.

'I suppose you're wondering why I am staying with your party?' she asked, almost happily. Paul nodded, he would have thought a goddess had more important things to do.

The hand on his shoulder now became an arm put around him familiarly, and she said: 'My father wants me to keep an eye on Lykos' people, see if they are indeed back to normal. And I'm glad to have that task, for I have two personal reasons to want to be with you as well.

First of all I want you all to be safe and to enjoy the rest of your stay here, and secondly, I'm afraid I have a huge crush on Lykos and I want to be with him for as long as I can. It will make parting with him even harder, but I just cannot help myself, I want to be with him, teach him, talk to him, love him.'

Her honesty stunned Paul, as well as her confession that she loved Lukas. Loved him as an equal partner, he was sure, not as a cute loveable boy to play with. Paul still wasn't entirely sure that Lukas would be returning to London with them, but if he did, Paul felt sorry for Aphrodite, for she would miss him indeed.

Before he knew it he had reached out for her and embraced her, to offer her some support for her plight, and she felt free to hug him back. 'Thank you for caring,' she said softly, and he replied: 'I was going to say the same to you.'

Soon after, they teleported themselves to Ephyra, where Hermes had established a semi-permanent circle in the basement of Katarina and Galan's house, until he could have a mosaic made. That required expert craftsmen, and even a god would have to wait for them to have time available, and to have the materials shipped.

The house was in great order, nothing untoward had happened in the night after the spell had been removed. With Galan, Katarina and Ophelie there to greet them, the kitchen was filling up as they sat down to have a drink and discuss the situation so far and plan their next actions.

Yesterday, Hermes and Katarina had arranged for criers to spread the news that everyone had been spellbound and that the spell had been lifted. All the new laws had been made redundant, sharing love and enjoying free time, playing games, socializing, all were acceptable again.

It appeared that some people had come out of being spellbound quite their former selves, whilst some were suffering from physical complaints like headaches and mental afflictions like confusion and depression.

Expecting Lukas to come, Katarina had spread the news that Master Lykos and Master Hermes would be visiting people who were in trouble, and there were already some worried fathers, daughters and spouses waiting outside, to see if they could get help for a loved one.

Katarina herself had changed her appearance, she was wearing a much shorter, much more revealing dress, which clearly showed her beautiful shape and her mottled skin. She seemed a lot happier, and Paul was certain she would share her love again soon.

They agreed to spend the morning on work, and take the afternoon off to have some fun.

Paul did not want to be confronted with a large crowd, he arranged with Galan to stay in the smithy and explore the use of magic within their craft. He also planned to help Galan improve his forge and maybe even explain tacking to him, though he was a bit afraid of the implications it would have for their own time.

But in their own world the gods had never ruled ancient Greece, had they? This must be a parallel world, where tacking might never be invented. And though Galan's iron-work was of a very good quality, he might benefit so much from the modern knowledge of making steel. And if Paul could find a way to make pig-iron into steel on a really small scale instead of having to buy it from an industrial scale furnace, he would profit immensely himself, using a cheaper resource and getting a much more pure material to work with.

Although he couldn't wait to start work, he did feel a bit uncomfortable with the idea that he was to stay behind with just one other person. Anyone who knew the spell to the teleport could use it to come into the house, and anyone could just walk in the door of the smithy, where the two of them would be concentrating to the exclusion of the outside world.

That was not safe, but he felt ashamed to protest, he had always been certain that if he set a ward it would protect him, and he had always been able to defend himself, with a node or a ley-line close, in a city where few people even knew magic existed. But here and now he didn't have that confidence, there were gods and powerful mages here and his power was limited to his own.

As it turned out, he didn't need to ask for protection, for Aphrodite did not plan to leave the house, explaining: 'I remember Melissa promising not to leave Paul, and I will not take even the slightest risk of something happening to them in their last seven-day here.'

She suggested Hermes take his wife and Katarina take Lykos outside to review the complaints, and send some of them to her. She would review them with Melissa and treat them.

It didn't take long for the first case to be brought before them. It was a mixed couple of a satyr woman and a human man, and they did not have physical problems, but their relationship was in trouble, as the woman explained: 'Since we have been freed, I have wanted to share love again, really badly, for it has been such a long time.

But my Petros doesn't want to share, and he doesn't want me to share either. We quarrel a lot, and we used to be so much in love. Please help us, Mistress!'

Petros meanwhile looked positively stubborn, and Melissa had a hard time believing this problem could be solved if one party was so pig-headed, but if anyone could, it should be Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The goddess started by laying a slender hand on one arm of each, an innocuous touch, which both nonetheless felt profoundly, worship in their eyes, and not a little bit of excitement.

In a low-pitched voice, the goddess asked Petros: 'Please may we hear your side of the story, Petros?'

The poor guy was totally overcome by Aphrodite's touch, but despite that he managed to speak: 'Mistress, I love Daphne with all my heart, I didn't mind not sharing love at all, she is the most beautiful creature in the world. But I did not like working all day and sleeping all night, and when we finally could have fun again, I wanted to enjoy it together first, instead of sharing those first precious moments with someone else.

Of course I know sharing love is healthy, but I had gotten used to being together all the time, and I need to adapt to the old ways again.'

He had totally conquered his awe of Aphrodite, his posture was proud, and he gazed at his wife with intense longing, pleading: 'Daphne, I love you so much, can we please spend some time together first, take moonlight walks, stroll through the harbour doing nothing useful at all, make love in the forest, let me get used to the new situation? And only then share with others?'

What did Aphrodite do to that grumpy guy, he was positively eloquent, and his plea struck home, Daphne now mirrored his infatuated gaze and replied: 'Oh my love, Petros, I didn't know you felt so strongly, you're so sweet! Of course I'll enjoy our freedom with you first. Do you want to go to the forest right now?'

Petros really hadn't exaggerated needing some time to adapt, for though his face lightened up in true happiness at her declaration of love, his expression became thoughtful afterwards and he replied: 'I have a few chores I need to do first.'

But then realization struck, his face cleared and he exclaimed: 'No of course I don't, we're free! I'll do those chores when I feel like doing them. Aurio! Yes, please Daphne, let's go to the forest and celebrate!'

And as they ran off hand in hand, Melissa saw a very soft expression on Aphrodite's face, reminding her of Lukas when he observed love being exchanged. At the door, the couple turned around and said: 'Thank you so much, Mistress Aphrodite, for helping us.'

As their acquaintance had grown, having shared love with her, and observed her care for Paul, Melissa had started to appreciate Aphrodite a lot, but they were Lukas' friends, and caring for friends of family was quite common.

Witnessing her restore a marriage without even saying a word Melissa realized the goddess did genuinely care for mortals, and these were not even her worshippers, they were Hermes'.

Though that might change, Melissa thought, as they shared love between them the coming days, the power their love generated might very well be directed at the goddess of love, who helped them find each other again.

The goddess did not comment on what had just happened, she merely sat in silence for a few moments, most likely savouring the love between the two who had just left.

And then her mild expression softened even more, moments before Melissa felt a familiar hand on her shoulder. Wondering what Aphrodite's soft feelings towards Paul meant, Melissa looked up, and her heart skipped its familiar beat. So much love in just a look, how did he do it?

What had she ever done to inspire it?

Still careful of his face she returned his kiss, not feeling the slightest embarrassment towards Aphrodite to be kissing in her presence, knowing she'd enjoy the exchange of love as intensely as Lukas would.

'You've been at the forge,' she said when they had broken off the kiss for lack of breath, 'you look happy and you smell so good. Did it hurt much?'

Paul did look happy as he replied: 'Not yet, but I'll be stiff as a board tomorrow, it's just incredible how fast one loses muscle. Will you help me with something?'

'Gladly, what would you have me do? Join you in a prayer to Lykos for more power?'

Smiling at the image she presented him with, both of them kneeling as if in a church, hands folded, Lukas looking down on them benignly, he commented: 'Why bother? If I need more power I'll just offer to kiss that ravishing damsel sitting opposite you, and get as much or more. I think I'll offer to kiss her anyway, though I don't really need more power yet. Iron is a less demanding mistress than gold.'

Finishing his sentence Paul had moved towards Aphrodite, who looked so much like Lukas in her reaction to their jesting, flattered, and almost shy. They were so alike, so eager for love, those Greek gods. It was really best they leave soonish, before those powerful creatures started to realize Paul and Melissa Kenwick were on to them.

Of course she accepted his offer and kissed him eagerly, feeling strangely privileged to be included in their intimacy, and to be given his trust after what had been done to him. Aphrodite wished she had been able to share love with him before he had been damaged, he had been so strong, such an indomitable will.

His love was still strong, intense, it was just incredible that one person, a mortal at that, could love with such blinding strength. But it would never be hers, it was reserved for his divine lady and for Lykos, and to be honest, it was fitting they should have it.

Melissa didn't show the slightest jealousy at seeing her husband kissing a goddess with relish. If anything, she seemed to find it rather enticing. It was admirable, to see someone from such a repressing culture as Lykos had described to her, sharing love with such generosity, but somehow it did make her love less powerful than Paul's.

It was the exclusivity of his love that made it especially strong, and Aphrodite would keep that discovery in mind for the future. She had always encouraged sharing love, but maybe loving a bit more exclusively made it all the more powerful.

Maybe she should discuss healing Paul's trauma with Lykos, maybe it was better for him to be strong again, maybe he needed a strong mind to keep that intense capacity to love from overwhelming him.

Meanwhile, his eyes had fired up a little as well, and he said: 'That was good, though I admit I was testing myself again. But only a little. Mostly I did want your power after all.'

And with a broad grin he watched her turn all pleased again at being teased. But no matter what he said, Aphrodite had seen his eyes as he said it, and they promised her he had wanted to kiss her for herself, because she was beautiful and a good kisser, and had treated him exceptionally well.

Looking back at his beautiful wife, he observed: 'Though that was very pleasant and gave me ideas for our afternoon, what I really came for was to ask you if you would be so kind as to see into some iron with me.

I have a feeling you will see even more differences between steel and normal iron, which you can then show me, to allow me to find a way to turn iron into steel with magic.'

And so it was that Aphrodite received the next supplicants alone in the kitchen, keeping her senses on the smithy as well.

In the hall between the kitchen and the smithy, Paul stopped and embraced Melissa ardently, kissing her again and feeling up her breasts within her dress. At her surprised look he excused himself, and she said: 'Don't apologize, I like to see you heated. Do you want to take some time for ourselves? It is our holiday, you know.'

He was tempted, she could see that, but: 'It'll keep, it's just lust.' And with a wink he went on: 'I'm dying to get my hands on that forge again, it's been too long.' When they got to the smithy, Galan was hard at work hammering iron, the whole space ringing with the noise of his rhythmic pounding. His muscles were rolling and sweat ran down his face and body, it was clear he enjoyed this intensely physical job as much as Paul did.

Paul took Melissa to a work-bench with a shapeless bar of pig-iron and his gun. Wondering what that dangerous thing was doing here, she looked at Paul questioningly, and he explained: 'It's not loaded, it is the only thing I've brought with me that contains steel. Besides, Galan wanted to see it, and I thought Aphrodite might, too.'

'Will you check both of them with sight and show me the differences? I know I've more experience with metals, but I can only see the the grid, maybe you can zoom in as it were.'

Didn't he expect a bit much from her? Paul had been working metals for years, she had only ever looked inside them, she had never tried to influence their properties. Still, he could follow her, he'd know what to look for using her virtual 'eyes'.

They sat down and Paul took her hand, and suddenly the moment became special, momentous. Melissa knew Paul expected to discover a whole new technique, one that would revolutionize forging for him, combining both his crafts.

She felt his mind brush hers, and let him in, taking a few moments to enjoy the intimacy of the connection, she felt his intense love and his lust, carefully checked for now.

But also a little impatience to get on, so she turned her attention to the pig-iron and saw what she expected, the familiar grid, she felt the strong emanations, there were no flaws in this bar, but of course it was just raw material.

Nothing new here, Paul would have seen this exact same thing, so she guessed he wanted her to try to zoom in, as Lukas had done when checking out Hermes' nerve damage.

Concentrating on a little part of the area before her, she did indeed manage to zoom in further, or at least more detail became obvious. There was a lot of the same material in the grid, beautifully arranged in squares and triangles, and it almost seemed as if there was some movement inside the grid.

But inside and between the geometrical shapes there were blobs of some other stuff, much less than the base material, and not nearly as neatly stacked. The movement couldn't pass through it but bounced off it in a certain rhythm, was that the source of the emanations?

It might very well be, decided her logic, for the emanations had shown her where the flaws were, and of course a hollow inside a piece of iron would disturb the emanations, change them from a regular rhythm to irregular buzzing.

Paul was elated and wanted to look at the steel right away.

For a moment, Melissa wondered which part of the gun was steel, but Paul let her know that most of it was actually made of steel, only the decorations and the handle were brass. He didn't want it to explode in his face...

So she decided to check out the barrel, and first saw what Paul had undoubtedly seen before, the same grid, but with a lot fewer emanations. A reaction from Paul, he hadn't realized that!

She zoomed in, and on that scale the difference was more than clear: the geometrical shapes were still beautiful, but instead of a lot of blobs of other stuff, there were as many much smaller ones, much more regularly shaped and regularly spaced within the squares and triangles.

The moving parts had more space to move and the space between the blobs was more regular, and there seemed to be a distinct alignment in the whole. The total image was one of strong order. Having seen movement in living bodies, Melissa was amazed that solid, non-living things had movement as well.

Paul clearly wanted to talk this over, so they went back into the now, where Melissa sagged with fatigue. She supposed seeing into iron this deeply was very hard, why did she always find that out afterwards, when it was too late to stop?

She could not stay upright, she should have taken some of Paul's power, foolish to forget that. Of course she had not used her talent actively in weeks, except when defending Paul that night. She still didn't know where the power had come from, it was all one big horrible haze that she tried not to think of too much.

Feeling strong arms around her keeping her from falling over, she was instantly reminded of their first weeks together, Paul had driven her into reaction-sickness more than once, but she had always thought those occasions worth the pain and the weakness, for lying in his arms afterwards had been the only intimacy she could get from him, and it felt so good.

Still connected to her mind, Paul got both memories, and kissed her lovingly. 'I was a brute to drive you so hard. But I'm glad you found some joy in it as well, incredible how you've never blamed me for causing you such pain.'

Then softer, with a memory of pain and horror: 'Hermes told me you took his energy that night, he had given you a direct link to his power for situations like that. Lukas knew about it, he didn't tell you about it because he resented it, but saw the use as well. And Melissa, it saved my life, for when you used Hermes' power he knew exactly where I was and used his own mark to teleport to me and get me out.'

They clung to the other for a moment, but Melissa was starting to get a monster of a reaction-headache, and Paul said: 'I'm not even going to fill up your reserve, we are in august company. Galan, can you please call Aphrodite over for a moment?'

Within minutes the goddess arrived, and with a loving kiss Melissa's power was restored and her headache cured.

'I hope Lykos will not be mad at me for tampering with your health. If he is, will you come to my defence?'

She laughed as she said this, and asked: 'Did you lat least earn anything useful for your trouble?'

Memories of the past, both horrible and beautiful, were instantly forgotten, as Paul replied eagerly: 'Oh yes, I will have to think it through, and come up with a method that won't require Melissa to exert herself into reaction-sickness every time I want to make steel, but an important step has been taken.'

Ideas were taking shape inside him already, for he mused: 'I suppose the common material is iron, and the blobs are carbon, and apparently steel has less carbon spread more evenly through the material. That fits the industrial methods of making steel.

I will have to melt the iron, get rid of some of the carbon, then cool it really quickly to keep the carbon spread evenly. Then work it as I would bought steel. Using magic might make the process a lot more predictable.

Thanks love, Galan and I will work on it some more, and we'll give you an update during lunch.'


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

And work they did, the rest of the morning. Melissa and Aphrodite didn't see any difficult cases until Lukas came back with a satyr woman in her thirties with a worn out look.

He sat her down at the kitchen table and held her hand, then said in a disturbed voice: 'This is Ianthe, she is not well and she needs my help, but I dare not enter her mind without an anchor, which is why I brought her.'

The woman showed no reaction at all, and Melissa was reminded of the rejected children of the wool-factory. 'Would you please anchor me, Melissa?' Lukas asked, and she replied: 'Of course,' but she did wonder why he didn't ask his aunt to come along, she was much more experienced in healing.

Aphrodite looked a bit hurt, and took a good look at Lukas, then said: 'You're not yourself, don't go in there now Lykos, tell us what is bothering you first. It is dangerous to enter a disturbed mind when you are not totally level-headed yourself.'

Hearing this Melissa of course looked at him and now he actually looked stricken, Aphrodite's words touching a chord in him. He chose to sit with Melissa, his face buried in her bosom, his arms wrapped around her tightly.

Aphrodite would have asked him what was the matter, but Melissa sent her a knowing look that she picked up immediately, and they waited for him to speak. Melissa stroked his hair, rubbing his horns just the tiniest bit to relax him, and she felt him shake a little, as if he were crying.

A bit concerned now, she bent over him to kiss his cheek, his musky scent giving her body ideas that were totally unsuitable to the situation. But they seemed to put some heart in Lukas, for he sat up to answer her kiss, finding comfort in the intimacy.

'It was horrible,' he said, indeed tears in his eyes, 'so many people, what can I do? I never wanted this!'

'Were there many bad cases, Lykos?' Aphrodite asked concernedly, 'you should have come to me for help.'

He shook his head, it was apparent that he didn't expect her to understand, and explained: 'No, that was not the problem, a few confused ones, a few headaches from the breaking of the spell. Some wounds gone bad with neglect, probably too busy working all day, and a case of pneumonia. Nothing I couldn't handle on my own.'

'Then what is troubling you, Lykos? Please tell us.' She really did love him a lot, Melissa could hear it in her voice. Strangely enough Melissa did not feel jealousy, nor triumph that he had come to her instead of to Aphrodite, Melissa's time here had made her even less inclined to weigh love.

'It's the people, Aphrodite, they worship me openly now. They love me so much, they all want to touch me, hug me, they want me to hold their babies and bless their children.

The women all want me to share love with them, the men encourage them, the ones that don't want to make love to me themselves, they all want a piece of me, I'm bursting at the seams with their love.'

'Oh you poor thing,' Melissa cried out, wrapping her arms around him once more, holding him tightly to comfort him. He had been so afraid this would happen.

Instead of hurt or jealous, Aphrodite now looked positively staggered.

'But beloved, that is a good thing, isn't it? Aren't you happy your people worship you? Think of the power it will give you.'

Lukas shook his head: 'It doesn't work that way for me, dear aunt, I never wanted worship, I just want to live a small life, I don't mind healing people but I want to be a normal person.'

'But you're not, Lykos, you're a god, and apparently a very popular one. Why can't you just accept that?' Aphrodite didn't get it, but Melissa did.

'I've been a god for a week, Aphrodite, for most of my adult life I have been an unhappy, lonely mortal, feeling useless because I had no Gift. With Melissa and Paul I finally found love, and a goal in life. I didn't want to come here, and I don't want to stay here.'

There was real anguish in his voice now, Melissa couldn't understand it, he would just leave with them, wouldn't he? Pick up their lives where they left off? He just had to bear the worship for a few more days, and then he'd have his life back. Or not?

Now she was starting to worry!

She sought comfort with him, nuzzled his neck, smelled his scent, and he looked at her in supplication.

She pleaded: 'You won't be a god anymore when we're back home, Lukas, you'll just be you again, a young man finding his way in life.' She used his chosen name on purpose, to remind him of their life together.

'That is the problem Melissa, how can I leave all those people depending on me behind to please only myself? Wouldn't that be a terrible crime?'

All this time the satyr woman had just been sitting there, but now she seemed to come to life a little, and she said: 'You could never commit a terrible crime, Master Lykos, that's why we all love you so much.'

Melissa could have damned the woman to Hell that very moment, for she immediately had Lukas' face in her bosom again. He would not do any healing today, she would make sure of that. This was not going to happen, Lukas was not going to stay on this world, indentured once again, being lived by other people, no matter how much they worshipped him.

She looked Aphrodite straight in the eye and asked: 'Can you handle this case? Or should we postpone it until tomorrow? I'm not going to let him endanger himself by doing any healing. Maybe Paul can anchor you if needed?'

The goddess nodded, and replied: 'I finally understand his problem with worship, you take him somewhere quiet and talk to him, and I'll attend to this lady. I'd like Paul to anchor me, mind-healing is always a risk, even for me.'

Melissa brushed Paul's mind to see if he was busy, and found a warm welcome with him. She explained quickly and even before she was done he was there with them.

'Do you want to go to the villa, Lukas?' Melissa asked the man in her arms, 'we'll meet the rest there. Aphrodite will handle your case, and Paul will help. Will you stay with Paul until he's safe with us?' This to Aphrodite, who nodded, and said: 'Go, we will be fine, and there before you know it.'

After Melissa had kissed Paul, looking him in the eye to see if he was all right with this, Melissa took Lukas to the basement, activating the mosaic, arriving in the basement of the villa together within a moment.

'Will you take a long walk with me, Melissa, a walk in the wilds out here, where there are no people but you and me?'

She assented, and Lukas took her hand and almost pulled her outside, off the cliff, across the little beach to a narrow path going up the cliff again, but with a gentle slope this time. As soon as they were back on the cliff, with the view of the Mediterranean before them, and the empty land behind them, Lukas became a lot quieter.

There were scraggy bushes, spread over a stony surface with horizontal cracks running in straight lines, filled with slightly smaller, greener plants. It did not look at all hospitable to Melissa, not since getting used to the Nomes' estate with its lush meadows. And it was incredibly hot, the air shimmering over the superheated stone.

They walked pretty fast, as fast as Melissa could manage without overstraining, and the repetitive movement calmed Lukas even more.

'Do you think I have a responsibility towards the people who worship me?' Lukas asked bluntly.

It was an easy answer for Melissa: 'No, I don't. You have never asked for their worship, though you have always appreciated people giving you love.

There is nothing you can give them that Hermes cannot, or at least that Hermes and Ophelie cannot give them together.

In fact, I think that you'd be intruding on your father's territory if you stayed and accepted their love, I think you need to help him gain their love and their worship, not feel obligated to answer their prayers yourself. Your father wants them. You have lived for others for years, now you may live for yourself, raise children, be safe.'

He stood still and embraced her, his shape warm against hers, his smell even nicer now, with the sun on his skin. This must be memory-day, for memories assailed her again, of their first weeks together, how skinny and insecure he had been, but also how incredibly sweet. And so confused about their weird ways, and eager to be able to go outside, be part of society.

There was so much love between them, she knew he must have thousands of worshippers, but could any of them love him as much as she did, and Paul did?

Of course he caught her feelings and returned them, his memories of fear and loneliness, finally put to rest in her arms. Working with Paul, cycling together, exploring the town, their friends. And the lack of scheming, the safety. He acknowledged her reasoning, but needed to think it over, talk to Paul.

The intimacy of their connection slowly took over, their bodies so close, their minds mingled. They kissed, with passion this time, but tenderly, not roughly. The thought of the beach crossed both their minds, but to be honest, they didn't think they'd make it back there, they had been walking for quite some time, and their needs wanted to be satisfied now.

There was no doubt in Lukas' mind as they made love, for half an hour he thought of nothing but his love for her, of her beautiful white skin, her generous curves, her wealth of copper hair, her independent mind, so different from the Greek women. And even when they were both hot and sweaty and smug after their loving, he had something to think about, by no means convinced Melissa was right, but leaning towards her view on things.

They returned hand in hand, stopping to kiss every so often.

'Do you think your father could build a portal directly from his house to our world?' Melissa asked, 'he said he'd like to visit George sometimes, and it would be much safer if he could do that directly.'

'Maybe you can discuss that with him, you're the engineer,' Lukas said smilingly, her mind worked in such an interesting way, how could he even think of living without her? He'd always be on the move, never a moment's rest, like his father, always thinking of plots and politics. 'I love you so much, Melissa, you know that, don't you?'

'I do, Lukas, I feel the same love in my own heart. It's not just that I'd miss you so much, though I would, and Paul would, as much as I. But I'd know you were neither happy nor safe, and that is not the life you deserve, I'd feel bad for you all the time as well as feel bad myself.

People will love you in London, your friends, and many others will also need you, but they will not burden you with their love. Please don't stay here for anyone else but yourself. If you stayed for Aphrodite I'd understand, she loves you very much.'

'She does love me, but she is a goddess, I suppose she can only love for so long. There would be others very soon, she'd tire of me,' was Lukas' observation.

'I think you underestimate her, I think her love for you is very profound, and she could bear you children, couldn't she? But of course she's married. And probably as busy as your father is, and as involved in all kinds of politics.'

Lukas now admitted: 'All of that, plus: I don't love her, Melissa, not like that. I love you, and I love Paul, and I love George. I once loved Ophelie. Everyone else I share love with because I like it or they need it, and I do it with love. But that does not mean I love them.'

He said the word 'love' differently many times, and it was easy for Melissa to catch every different meaning of that one simple word. But what he said convinced her even more that Lukas needed to come back to England with them.

When they got back to the villa, Aphrodite and Paul were there, and Paul was in the goddess' arms, quite comfortably.

Coming closer, the picture they presented was even weirder, for Aphrodite was holding the gun and Paul was quietly explaining its workings to her. Melissa merely hoped he was not creating one of those paradoxes that time travel reputedly caused, by explaining one of the most destructive inventions of mankind to a goddess of an ancient age.

As they spied her, Aphrodite looked up and spoke quietly: 'See, I told you they were fine. You know Lykos likes to run when he needs to think. Though I guess you have not been running.'

This last was aimed at Lukas, and his broad smile confirmed Aphrodite's statement.

'No, we took a nice long walk, and Melissa gave me some food for thought. Though I'd like to have your opinions as well. But first, how did the healing go?'

Lukas was a bit apprehensive, probably feeling slightly guilty for saddling his friends with a tough job.

'It went just fine. Paul is a really strong anchor, I felt very safe with him, and I needed it, for that lady had been through a lot. She had shared love during the ban, and she had been chased by a mob, together with her lover. They both took a severe beating, and her husband broke off their marriage, and didn't want to let her see her children.

Her lover fled the village, she has no idea where he is, and she doesn't dare seek out her husband and children, or face the neighbours who mistreated her. They probably feel very much ashamed by now, and eager to welcome her back into their lives.

I've tried to lay her memories to rest, and I've asked my brother and your daughter to find her family and negotiate, and keep an eye out for the man who was beaten. Ianthe felt much better afterwards, but some of her memories reached Paul and brought back his own bad memories. So I decided to bring him to you quickly, and when you weren't here he feared for you.

Fortunately he trusts me well enough now to let me hold him, and it didn't take long at all for you to return. He showed me the gun, and then I was glad to hold on to him, for it is a frightening invention.'

Melissa did feel guilty, they should have left a message, it had not occurred to them Paul would be worried.

She said: 'I'm so sorry love, we never thought of leaving a message. Can you forgive us?'

Paul looked rather relaxed, actually, and replied: 'No problem, you couldn't have known. It turned out well for me, I was distraught and scared and decided to just trust Aphrodite and not to worry. And she was right. She held me quite nicely, I'm really starting to like her a lot.'

He was teasing her again, looking up at the ancient goddess in adoration, which of course she didn't fall for at all, getting used to his manner, and rather pleased he had weathered his original distress so well.

She squeezed him as tightly as she dared and kissed his throat, saying: 'I didn't think I could get so attached to mortals, they're quite lovable, aren't they Lykos?'

'I'm still one of them in spirit, auntie, I've been mortal for more than fifty years and immortal for a seven-day. My life revolves around them. I miss our friends in London, George, Frances, Ilsa, Tristan, even your folks, Paul, and your sister. If I go back with you, I'll be normal again the moment I touch the soil.'

As he spoke, he seemed to realize himself how much he longed to be back in England.

'You want to talk to me about it, Lykos?' Aphrodite asked.

He replied: 'Actually, I do. And to Paul, but I suppose you'll be wanting some time alone with your wife?'

Paul's smouldering look reminded Melissa of their short moment in the hall, and she wanted to feel his body and his mind connected to her own very much. He looked good enough to eat, though still a bit worse for wear with bruises and bite-marks all over him, she hoped that his body might profit from the warm salty seawater again. 'Will you take me to the little bay, Paul?'

'Is that safe, just the two of us?'

Melissa reminded herself that it had been just two days, he needed some time, and if time didn't bring back the old Paul, Lukas or Aphrodite or both could remove his trauma instantly.

Aphrodite smiled at him in a very special way, and she said: 'We'll be up here, Paul, on the terrace, one sound out of one of you will bring us down instantly. You know how fast Lykos is. And anyway, I've taken the liberty to ask some of my friends to guard this place from the sea, nothing will pass by them unnoticed, they have very keen senses. You will be perfectly safe.'

Getting up from where he sat next to Aphrodite, Paul came towards Melissa and took her hand, leading her towards the edge of the cliff, then down. As soon as they were out of sight they were all over each other, though Melissa still took care to let him lead.

'You smell almost as you should, there is just a tiny whiff of etching fluid missing,' Melissa observed, as her senses were totally filled with her one true love, 'let's hit the water, I want you in my mind and in my body.'

'We'll substitute with the tang of salt for now,' he replied huskily, 'and sun-baked skin. It smells nice too, a lovely scent of holiday. Do you see any boats out there?'

'I suppose Aphrodite did not mean human guards, Paul, I think she has set her dolphins to guarding this cove,' was Melissa's reply.

He looked at her in open admiration: 'Of course, you are so right. I may love your mind even more than your body, though at this moment my own body and mind are both frantically denying that statement. He opened his mind to hers and she accepted his invitation, feeling it filled with lust once more and with fearless love.

'You need no longer be careful of me, beloved, to you and to Lukas I'm back to my normal self. The rest of the world will take a little longer, though Aphrodite has come a long way. She can be so cute, so like Lukas sometimes, it is hard to envision her as a centuries old powerful being.'

By now they had dropped their clothing and entered the water, and the warmth of the water was a blessing to Paul. He did feel his muscles after wielding a hammer for just half an hour, a combination of all the damage that he had taken and a week away from his forge.

But pain no longer mattered, for their heat was up now, and Melissa wanted him inside her straight away. He couldn't manage any speed at all, though the water supported his painful bits, it also strained his stomach muscles beyond their strength.

So they made love even more slowly than usual, and it was fabulous, for it lasted for ever and ever, their minds one, the world around them forgotten.

Floating in the water afterwards, admiring the views and talking of everything that had happened that day, they forgot all except each other.

Then suddenly a cute face broke the surface of the water just in front of them and Paul exclaimed in delight. A dolphin! There were four of them, and they sported with each other, but they challenged Paul and Melissa as well, to swim with them, to let the strong supple creatures pull them along at breakneck speed, to have the dolphins take them on their backs to be carried for a short stretch.

Melissa couldn't really swim, but she felt totally safe playing with these creatures, somehow she knew they would not let her drown.

When they were tired of playing in the water, the dolphins allowed them to stroke their smooth hides, admire their sleek shapes, perfectly suited to a life in the water. They made high sounds, like clicks, and seemed to be talking to each other and to them constantly.

Paul could understand why Aphrodite loved them so much, they were so beautiful and friendly, and clearly very smart. And they were not fish, they couldn't be, their skin was not scaled and rather smooth, and their eyes were warm, not at all like fish' eyes.

The noise they made together drew Lukas and Aphrodite to the beach, and soon the dolphins were back at play with their beloved mistress and her companion. The creatures did not tire of swimming and playing, nor of cuddling with people who had hands to scratch them gently, but the people started to get very hungry.

They had missed lunch and were starting to think of food constantly, especially Paul, who had been very physically active, and Lukas, who was always hungry.

So they took leave of their new friends, and climbed the cliff face once more. Expecting to have to use the teleport to Katarina's place to get some food, they were pleasantly surprised by a laden table on the terrace, and a smiling Hermes and Ophelie sitting down all ready for a square meal.

They feasted on fresh cheese, olives, bread, tomatoes, soft fruits, accompanied by a lovely wine and Hermes' tea surrogate. Hermes and Ophelie were in great spirits, having seen and spoken to many local people, Hermes feeling much more connected to his own people, and his people feeling seen and heard by their god, and telling him so.

The people had been very pleased to see the love between them, Ophelie being the closest they had amongst them to nobility, and her so beautiful and restored to youth, loved by their god, and eager to do right by all of them.

They were planning to spend one more day in Ephyra, then take ship to another coastal area, and visit the villages there.

There also was the matter of Dionysus' judgement still waiting, Hermes, Aphrodite and Lukas would be expected to attend, and Katarina as well. Hermes planned to have the others safe and sound at the villa or at Ophelie's house for that time, guarded by Ophius and Kadmus, he was not taking any risks.

Hearing this, Melissa objected strenuously at Lukas getting involved, but her protests were in vain: Lukas was adamant he would be included in the party, as witness and victim at the very least.

But for now, Hermes and Aphrodite had not had a summons from their father yet, so there was still some time to enjoy their time off.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

They spent that evening at the villa together, and somehow they paired off, talking heart-to-heart on very personal issues with one of the others.

Paul and Hermes finally had their talk on delegating, about Hermes finding time for a private life by trusting some of his dependable underlings to make their own decisions. Ophius would know which staff-members had the required capacities and were trustworthy, and he would also be able to help Hermes to catalogue all the tasks and duties Hermes had to do by himself, and which ones he could delegate.

The explanation had a profound effect on Hermes, he had always trusted Ophius, but it had never occurred to him that others might be as capable and as dedicated. Together with Paul he made a tangible plan how to work towards a more equal distribution of power and effort in his household and the rule of his realm. Knowing it worked in other cultures, and knowing the possible pitfalls, would make it a lot easier to implement.

Melissa found herself drawn to Aphrodite, the goddess motioning her to sit with her, and complimenting her on her steadiness: 'My lovely, I'm so impressed by your inner power, with not just one man to comfort and satisfy, but two. You had but just returned from supporting a god in a difficult position I could never understand, before you had another on your hands, needing a totally different kind of comforting. And I bet they both wanted more that just a hug.'

It was easy to confide in Aphrodite, she could be so motherly, even though she looked like a stunning young woman.

Somehow, Melissa didn't want her to think Paul and Lukas were weak, they were just having a rough time right now. She observed: 'Usually, we are a lot more equal, Paul is actually the strong shoulder we lean on. But Lykos has grown a lot, and he sometimes takes over and talks great sense into both of us. Today was a coincidence.'

'But what if you have a bad day, can you lean on a strong shoulder? And what if you don't feel like making love, do you have two moping men around?'

This got a laugh from Melissa, and she said: 'When I have problems they are there for me, like Paul at Hermes' pool. No matter how frightened he was, he was there for me until I could take over again.'

Aphrodite nodded, she had been impressed by the way Paul had comforted Melissa in the state he was in then.

'I'm afraid I've never felt like not making love, never since Lykos took my virginity. What does that say about my appetite?'

She didn't feel ashamed of her capacity for making love, but she did sometimes wonder whether loving Paul exclusively would not have left her eager for more at certain times. Maybe she wasn't as well-suited to being monogamous as she had thought.

As she shared this thought with the goddess, that lady laughed in understanding, and said she had never managed to stay true to one man, there were so many nice ones around.

'But I have never wanted to share my love with any other man but Paul and Lykos, I only obliged Hermes because he wanted it so badly. And it was nice enough, but it still bothers me that loving him enabled Rhoda to get her hands on Paul. If I had stuck to Paul...'

'She might have gotten hold of both of you, Melissa. She was very powerful, and very envious of anyone who was so much in love as the two of you. And you know you were instrumental in saving your man.' This was an observation that had not occurred to Melissa, and it relieved her guilt, but also caused her some distress.

Aphrodite offered to hold her, and Melissa was glad to let herself be comforted after doing so much of it herself that day. Sitting with the beautiful goddess, being stroked gently, without the heat they had shared the day before, she felt herself relax.

'Still, I admire your strength,' Aphrodite spoke, 'is there nothing you fear, or feel insecure about? Lykos tells me you have acclaim in your profession as well, and I have seen myself that you are a really good mage, with a power I hadn't even heard of before you showed it to me.'

'I have been fortunate in my work, though I have worked hard to reach the point where I am now. And magic has helped me in my profession.'

She explained how she had found that talent for seeing into things thanks to Paul, and how she was just at the beginning of her career in magic.

Remembering the conversation she had with Ophius, she haltingly spoke up to Aphrodite: 'There is one thing I fear beyond reason, and Ophius told me you might help me with that.'

Then she was silent, trying to find a way to tell Aphrodite about it, but finding herself suddenly unwilling to even talk about it, out of some stupid superstition of making it come true by admitting it.

Seeing her reluctance, but with a great respect for Ophius' insights, Aphrodite decided to push her just a little bit: 'It must be something pretty dire, to make you too afraid to even talk about it.'

To her horror, Melissa found herself crying, saying brokenly: 'But it isn't, most girls are desperate to get it, see it as their life's work.'

Having observed how well not saying anything worked to get people to speak their minds, Aphrodite kept silent, hoping she'd spit it out eventually.

And she did: 'You'll probably find it totally ridiculous, but I'm desperately afraid to get pregnant. I have a very equal relationship now with two men I love more than anything, and who love me more than anything besides each other.

I have work in which I am respected. Getting pregnant can cost me everything. Turning fat and bloated, being tired all the time and losing all interest in making love, being bound to a helpless piece of human being, having no time left to work or think, or have fun anymore.

And my worst nightmare is, conceiving here and bearing a child with horns and hoofs in England. What life would such a gentle soul have in our world?'

The goddess of love could see that this was a very real fear for Melissa, suddenly no longer a strong woman capable of supporting two men through hard times, but an insecure girl, with several very strange ideas on conception and very little faith in her two adoring men.

She squeezed the frightened girl tightly and said: 'My dear, I don't think it ridiculous at all, this is a very real fear for you. Children are a big responsibility, and usually the care for them does seem to fall to the mother.'

Melissa was clearly glad not to be judged for her fears, and Aphrodite continued, smiling: 'But don't you think you might have a little more faith in your men? Do you really see either Lykos or Paul leaving you with a child all the time? Lykos loves children, the only child he ever got to raise himself adores him, caused most of his father's subjects to worship him instead.

And Paul, he has so much love in him, and he doesn't share it with anyone, there would be plenty left for a child.

Besides, children don't only take, they give a lot as well, why would people want to have them otherwise? You know I have children, and though they are a lot of work at first, to have them gives another meaning to life.

From Lykos' stories of England I have reason to believe that your father is not only very powerful, but also very caring, and your mother and sisters, and that famous George has a very nice wife and adult children. I'm thinking they would all claim some time with a child of yours, especially if it had beautiful hair and a creamy skin like you.

If you really want to I can help you to never have a child, but I'm sure you would come to regret it. And it would hurt Lykos immensely, for he is hoping so much to have a normal life and raise a few children himself. You are such a strong and caring group, you would do really well raising children.

As for your biggest fear, bearing a child that would be loved by all of you, but rejected by society, that will certainly not happen. My father, the most powerful god on this world, has already promised you it will not, Lykos has told me about his words to you, and my brother did, too. We gossip a lot amongst ourselves, I'm sorry to admit. But my father always keeps his word, so please let that fear go.'

Finally letting her fear out to another woman was a great relief. Melissa had always felt ashamed to not want a child, as if she was an unnatural woman. And she probably wouldn't mind having children, just not now.

And how could a god make sure she didn't carry a satyr child? And did Zeus' words mean she would certainly become pregnant whilst she was here? She didn't remember his exact words. She was just so tired, she could not control herself and cried until she was totally exhausted, and Aphrodite started to worry about the grief she had inadvertently caused.

Though in fact she had not caused it, it had been there all along.

Paul was talking to her brother on the other side of the terrace, and as Melissa had started to cry, his eyes had been repeatedly pulled in their direction. But they were obviously sharing confidences, and it was clear he didn't want to disturb them.

Still he kept a close eye on his beloved, and when he discerned concern on Aphrodite's face he could no longer control himself, he had to check why Melissa was in such distress. He excused himself with Hermes, and came towards them, with worry in his every feature.

Kneeling beside his love he asked: 'Why are you so upset, my dearest? Has it all been too much for you? You have been so strong for us, and we have taken your comfort, and your love, and have forgotten you are only one person yourself, and a very young one.'

Aphrodite made room for him to hold Melissa instead of her, but did not leave altogether. The poor girl was not in any state to talk, the rough last days, the loss of Paul's strong will, and facing her all-consuming fear that becoming pregnant would be the end of all she held dear, had taken a heavy toll.

She could only whisper to Aphrodite: 'You tell him,' and then she fell asleep in the arms that had always supported her.

'I'm sorry Paul, it was my fault she fell apart. I commended her for being so strong today, supporting both of you, loving both of you, and asked her whether there was nothing she feared. She told me she had one overwhelming fear, but didn't dare tell me. I pushed a tiny bit, I thought it must be something horrid, maybe something I could help her with, and it turned out her one, all-consuming fear was'

'getting pregnant,' Paul finished her sentence. 'I know, we've talked about it. To be honest, Aphrodite, I couldn't relate to that at all, how could having a baby be so bad? Most married people want a baby, don't they?

There's always been a risk, though frankly I didn't realize that until she told me she feared it so much. I tried to comfort her, it wouldn't be so bad, there's three of us, and three families to help us in any way they can. But she is so certain it would end everything.'

'And now she is afraid that if she conceives here, the child might be a satyr,' Aphrodite added. 'Ophius told her to consult me. I'm sorry I got her so upset.'

'You didn't do that, it was the circumstances spinning an unreasonable fear out of control. We've asked too much of a very strong woman, she deserves better. And she will receive better, first of all from me.

Will you please help Lykos to relieve me of the trauma that has taken my strength? We thought it would be best if I got over it myself, but it won't do, I cannot have Melissa suffer for my love of control. She needs me strong and fearless.

Once you are all gone to judge Dionysus, I want to be able to defend myself and my own. I don't want to huddle in a corner waiting for the axe to fall, I want to be my old self, and rely on magic to keep myself safe.'

He contacted Lukas, who was within reach of his mind, taking a stroll along the beach with his step-mother, and asked him to come back to him.

And he gestured to Hermes, who was still sitting at the table in the far corner, but looking at what was happening, of course. The beautiful god approached them.

'Melissa has been under too much stress, she's suffering for my stubbornness. I'm going to ask Lykos to take my trauma away, and I want to ask you a favour, one you have offered me already since we came here: Will you please give me one of those permanent links to your power so I can use magic to defend myself? And have you know when I'm in danger? I will not allow the love of my life to suffer whilst I prove I can conquer my fear. This ends now.'

And at that exact moment, Lukas stepped on to the terrace, straight at them. Paul linked to his mind to bring him up to speed, and within seconds he was ready for action, having wished to do this for days.

Lukas linked to Aphrodite routinely, then touched his most beloved friend, who sat with Melissa still in his arms. Fear and humiliation rushed in, but Lukas allowed his detachment to make the memories less personal, it wouldn't do to take Paul's suffering on himself.

To be anchored by a goddess was also a distinct advantage, it was so personal to be in Paul's mind, amongst their shared memories, and the things that had been done to his beloved friend were counter to all Lukas wanted to know about love. It was for the best to have a neutral mind along, one who knew more about the world than Lukas did.

Lukas had become so adept at this, and Paul had progressed so much in just two days, that restoring him to all his former bossiness and self-confidence was a matter of minutes. Lukas was tempted to set Paul's self-control back to its English level, but thought the better of it. Let him enjoy Greece whilst they were here.

At the very moment that Lukas came back into the now, Aphrodite sent him a report on Melissa's intense fear of getting pregnant, and offered the option of rendering her sterile to him as well. And as she thought, this upset him so much, he had such hopes for a child of Melissa and Paul's. A tiny stray thought reached her involuntarily, of his wish to have one more child of his own body to raise himself, surrounded by love as he was now, and it got stuck in her mind.

She could do it, but not as long as Melissa was so afraid of having any child.

Within seconds, they were back, to find Paul totally different. His face was still a mess of black and blue, but his eyes were no longer haunted, and he kissed Lukas hungrily, used to him needing some kind of love after a mind-healing, and delivering a big 'thank you'.

And after that kiss Paul looked straight at Hermes, who sat down in front of him and touched his head at both his temples. The sleek god lighted up, then seemed to defy his possessive son by kissing Paul full on the mouth, Paul answering it without hesitation.

After that the two ancient gods left the three of them together to find each other again, they had been forced to share so much with others that they needed some time alone. Hermes and Aphrodite sat down at the table with Ophelie, drank wine and talked about the state of affairs in Hermes' realm.

Lukas was indeed a bit indignant. 'What was that all about?' he asked in an almost hurt tone of voice. Paul took him in his arms as well, the three of them sitting close together, Melissa still sleeping, and said: 'I had him give me one of those power-links, Lukas. I wanted to be strong and bossy again, but I also want the power to enforce it.

I know I can have yours, but I want you to come back with us to England very much, and it's probably better if we stay on equal footing, without me being dependent on you for everything. Besides, I want Hermes able to find both Melissa and me all the time, knowing as soon as we are in trouble. When you leave us to attend Dionysus' judgement we need to be able to defend ourselves, but there are many things in this world we cannot handle, and Hermes can be with us in seconds. Can you accept that?'

A kiss and a curly head against his chest were enough answer. He scratched those horns a little, smelled his lover's musky scent mingle with that of the woman he loved, and all was well for a few moments, sitting there together, himself back in control, free of unreasoning fear, ordeal remembered but no longer ruling his being.

Finally Lukas said: 'You want me to come back with you?'

'Of course I want you to return with us! What would we do without you?' Lukas did need to be reminded of being loved constantly, even though he was a god now. 'Lukas, I love you very much, I never want to live without you.'

And right now Melissa needed him: 'Lukas, should we wake up Melissa, talk to her? Assure her that though the burden of carrying and bearing a child would be hers, we would always be there for her, and care for her, and for the baby if she wanted to go to work, or have fun, and that we'd make love to her no matter what and starve her if she got too fat?'

'I heard that, you over-muscled, hairy, bossy...' Melissa was clearly awake, wanting to punch him for his rudeness, but not daring to.

'He's right though,' Lukas said, grinning, 'we would starve you. And you can punch him again, he let me take away the fear, he's back to his old, bossy self.'

Then he softened totally and almost pleaded: 'There is nothing I want so much in this life as your children to raise, Melissa, will you please not rush into anything, will you promise to wait until we've talked things over together?

I know it is a burden to be the one who can bear children, but it is also a gift neither of us can have. We are totally dependent on you, and I beg you to believe that I would do more than my share of the duties involved.'

Melissa roughed his hair and replied: 'I will not do anything rash, I promise. I should have shared this with both of you much sooner, and more often.

Besides, I can put it out of my mind most of the time, I guess I was just tired to lose myself so badly. I can usually control myself, you know that.

Now can we lie on our bed and cuddle and talk about pregnancies and babies? I realize now I am afraid of the unknown mostly, and you have raised a child, Lukas, you know what is true and what is just childish fear.'

'Your fear was anything but childish, beloved,' said Paul, and in his eyes Melissa saw the caring, bossy lover she had missed so much. With a little cry she wrapped him in her arms and whispered: 'Oh my love, I missed you so much. I was afraid I'd never see the real you again.'

With her face still in his neck, she heard him say: 'I'm sorry I thought only of myself, Melissa. I wanted to prove to myself that I could conquer my fear, never realizing you were suffering too.

And I have not taken your fears about getting pregnant seriously. It seemed so unreal to me, as if it could not happen any day. We should have talked to Lukas straight away, even though it might be painful to him.'

'Why would it be painful to me to talk of babies?' Lukas wanted to know, 'I love children.'

Paul explained: 'I thought it might be painful because you cannot have any of your own on our world.'

For a moment, Lukas was his true age again, as he observed: 'I have already raised one of my own children, Paul, and who knows how many of my blood live in this area. I'd like to raise one of my own once again, but I'd love any child of yours as much as my own. It is much more painful to me, Melissa, that you have been in such distress about this without telling me. Why would you think you'd get a little satyr baby from me?'

For the first time ever, Melissa thought that if it would not be doomed to lead a life of misery and rejection, she might want to have a baby that looked like Lukas, with horn stubs and tiny little hoofs. 'I was dancing with Ophius, and Paul with a girl Ophius said was his daughter. She was totally human, and he told me the children of a mixed couple were either the one or the other, mixed features like Katarina's mottles were rare.

Then he asked how a satyr baby would be welcomed in our world, and I said it was impossible, you were another species in our world. He said, but what if I conceived on this world? And when that distressed me a lot, he told me to discuss it with Aphrodite, said she could help. So I did. I must go and apologise to her, I let myself go totally, I must have been very tired to cry like that.'

The mature Lukas was still looking at her from that cute, delicious face, and she said: 'You must have been an absolutely adorable baby. Chubby, and with tiny hands, and little horn stubs and tiny hoofs.' She just had to touch his soft, mottled skin.

His eyes closed as he felt her loving touch, and when they opened again, he said: 'Let's go lie on the bed, I want to feel both of you as I answer all your questions about babies. If you pictured me as a baby, all is not lost. And though I don't know what I looked like as a baby, I've held plenty of satyr babies today and I assure you, they are adorable.

With Paul back as our fearless leader and invested with limitless power, I beseech you to join me tomorrow and hold some yourselves.'

They took off their clothes before they laid on the bed, and fondled and caressed to their hearts' content, in total silence. Of course the guys showed excitement, Melissa felt her share of it, but they did not indulge in making love. They had more important matters to discuss.

Still entangled, stroking the others quietly now, they settled down for a long talk. Lukas asked: 'What exactly is it that you fear so much, beloved?'

Melissa started out: 'I fear getting fat, unattractive, stupid and emotional from being pregnant.'

Brutally honest, Lukas answered: 'You would gain weight, certainly, but you are used to eating moderately.

And you could never be unattractive, up until five months pregnancy you don't even notice. I loved seeing Ophelie when she was pregnant, I would be so delighted to be allowed to touch you if you were with child.

As for getting stupid and emotional, usually that happens to women who are emotional to begin with, and you strike me as particularly rational, and much too smart to ever become stupid. Though we'd still love you anyway.'

Melissa nodded, and went on: 'I fear the pain of birth, and of dying of fever afterwards.'

This made Lukas smile, and he replied: 'I may still be able to just will pain away, like with the satyr with the mangled hoof, remember? But I think I can assure you I can prevent you from dying of fever, and you believe I can, don't you? Ophelie suffered some pain during the birth, but she quickly forgot when she held her baby in her arms.'

'I'm afraid I will not love a baby, that I will resent it for crying, that I will be left alone with a child when you go off to work. I'm afraid that no-one will hire me again to check materials, or inspect a site, once I have a child. Usually, women are fired from their jobs when they conceive.'

Lukas bowed his head, and said: 'This is where you will have to believe me, that nature takes care of its own, you will love your child.

And we would love your baby so much, we both work from home, so we would mind it when you go outside, people wouldn't even know you are a mother, they'd see the same excellent inspector they know and rely on.'

'Are you a little less afraid now, love?' Paul asked Melissa, and she replied: 'I am, I'm glad you told us, Lukas.'

Lukas' obvious yearning even for a baby did hearten her a lot, she was sure he would do his share to keep her free to do some kind of a job, and love it. But he was thinking of staying here. And if she asked him not to right now, it would be as if she only wanted him as a nanny, which was just not true.

But she had to acknowledge his longing: 'I can easily see how much you yearn for a child, Lukas, and frankly, your plea and your information have made it easier for me to accept that it may happen. I really hope you decide to come home with us, not only would it stop my heart from breaking for and over you, but I'd also feel much less afraid of getting pregnant with you around.

I'll come with you and look at those satyr babies with you, if Paul will come too.'

They shared one really big hug, and then Melissa wanted to know what Lukas had been discussing with his stepmother.

Strangely, Lukas turned pale and swallowed hard. They had been talking of something that hurt Lukas, he showed his emotions clearly. As he was trying visibly to control his emotions, Melissa asked him why: 'Lukas, you can just tell us if something pains you.'

With great effort, he managed to say in a choked voice: 'I've already troubled you once today with my feelings, you've had enough to process for one twenty year old girl.'

Which was true, but she was not alone with him. A strong, calm baritone voice said: 'Very true, Lukas, but I haven't. You've taken a load off my back, now I'll take yours. Come to me.'

That cute, cute face, it was hidden in Paul's chest in a second, and for once, Paul didn't keep his silence, but spoke up: 'Tell us about it, Lukas.'

When he looked up at Paul, Lukas didn't even cry, but Paul licked the dent in his lip anyway, and kissed him on top of that.

Lukas leaned into the kiss, deriving great comfort from Paul's inner calm and his intense love. 'I've missed you too, big man, and I didn't even realize it,' he remarked, a lot more composed. He didn't want to upset Melissa again.

So he spoke his mind straight away: 'My father wants Ophelie to start sharing love, he thinks it is better for her, and better for their relationship if she is less dependent on him. I told her I think he is right. She accepted too much of him, and it made her very unhappy. She wants everyone else to share, and truly believes it is healthy, I think it would benefit her greatly.

Then she told me she had already decided to do what he advised, she saw the sense in it. And she wanted me to be the first person she shared with. For old times' sake. I could only just keep from crying my eyes out. It wanted her so much for thirty years, I was so incredibly lonely.

Didn't she realize at all what she had done to me all those years? I told her I needed to think about it, but I couldn't tell her why, I would have broken if I had. So much pain, I didn't know what to do. Then you called me.

I'll need to tell her something tonight, before we retire for the night, but I have no clue what. The truth, but it would hurt her badly I fear.

What do I tell her, Paul?'

'What do you want to do, Lukas? Do you want to share love with her? Do you still love her?' Paul kept a tight hold on Lukas, feeling strongly for him.

'I don't love her anymore, and frankly I don't want to share with her. I resent what she did to me, but at the same time I realize she suffered too, for thirty years. Why would she ask?'

'Yes, why would anyone want to share love with the master?' Melissa said dryly. 'Maybe she finally realizes what she threw away. Can't you just do her?'

Both men stared at her in shock. She decided to raise the stakes even more: 'Maybe you'll sire a cute satyr baby on her. That'll teach your father to force a monogamous woman into sharing. Are you sure she wants this? She strikes me as truly dedicated to one person. Paul didn't want to share, why should she?'

Still speechless, the men were contemplating her rude remarks.

Lukas was the first to recover. 'You may be right. She doesn't even know it is perfectly reasonable to not want to share. Out here, it is a sickness. But my father should know that. Maybe he wants an excuse to share himself?'

Paul offered: 'Had you two eloped, you would probably have loved each other exclusively. And gotten a whole herd of little satyrs to fill that huge house.'

'So what you are saying is, that though we think it might be healthy for her to share, she might not be able to. But you did it, Paul.' Lukas was really thinking now, no longer reacting.

'I did it for propriety, but I never really liked it. It was more that I would have insulted people if I didn't, and that I felt I needed to try. I have no desire to ever share love again, though I would have no problem with indulging someone who really needed it.'

'You would?' asked Melissa, 'another woman? That is amazing, Paul, you're really cured. I'm so happy to hear that!'

Lukas could not but grin broadly, and as usual that got him hugs and kisses for looking cuter than could be resisted. Then he got serious again and observed: 'So she wants it to get closure, or try it to please her husband, or she really thinks it is healthy. In either case, there is no real reason not to indulge her.'

That statement got a retort from Melissa: 'But there is: you should not indulge her if it hurts you in any way. You clearly still feel badly about the whole situation, and you have a right to.

Why not discuss this with Aphrodite? She's the expert in matters of love. Though she doesn't like you to share, that may colour her opinion.'

Lukas said: 'That is a good idea. I can easily detach feelings, you know, usually I only do it with feelings that were pushed on me, by healing before I got my godhood mostly, but I can decide to detach my hurt feelings towards Ophelie if I choose to. I am loathe to do that because those feelings make me human, but if they hurt either her or me further when we can find reconciliation, I shall not hesitate to let them go.

If you two don't mind, I was planning to spend the night with Aphrodite anyway, she wants to spend as much time with me as she still can before I leave, and it doesn't cost me much to indulge her. She's really much nicer than I expected, and she said she would make it worth my while.

That makes me curious of course, though if you want me to stay with you I will.'

Looking at each other, Paul and Melissa had a hard time not to burst out laughing, they knew what was waiting for Lukas tonight, and they most certainly didn't want him to miss out on that. Paul replied: 'No problem, I no longer feel anxious to stay alone with Melissa, I'll set a ward on the door and the window and if something shows up, we'll both be ready. You go indulge your lovely aunt.'

'Wait a minute, did you just say 'before I leave'? Does that mean you've decided to come with us?' The joy on Paul's face was a rare sight. He did not usually show such strong feelings.

Lukas beheld it with intense delight, and this time he did cry, big tears welling up and rolling over his cheeks.

'I have. What would you two do without me? Let the people here pray to my father, or talk to Ophelie, I need your love, and you need my expertise with children. Aphrodite also advised me to go, said I'd never find love like that again.

In an excellent mood from their intimacy and a thorough reality check on pregnancy and children, they dressed and went outside, to sit on the terrace and drink some wine.

Lukas told Aphrodite: 'I've managed to set some of Melissa's fears to rights. She has agreed to come with me tomorrow to see some satyr babies, she wants to know what I looked like as a baby.'

The goddess looked truly happy with this news, she said: 'You'll love having a baby, Melissa. And Lykos is such a great father. I'll even come over and be your midwife, I've delivered more than a few babies. Hermes and I have been talking of a direct portal to your world anyway. Maybe you can help us work out the, what did you call it, physics, that is your job, isn't it?'

Flattered with Aphrodite's remembering the nature of her work, she almost forgot how the goddess had spoken of her with a baby in the future tense, as if it were already set to happen.

Well, in a way it was set she would have children, it was a logical conclusion to making love after all, it would happen someday, only the exact moment was still unclear.

Still, Melissa would keep a suspicious ear on what else the goddess said with regards to pregnancies and babies the coming days.

As Lukas had announced, he stayed his nights with Aphrodite as long as they slept at the villa. Paul did indeed set a ward, but excluded Lukas from it, just in case he might want to sleep with them after all.

The next three days they spent in a similar fashion, working in the mornings, playing in the afternoon, except Melissa and Aphrodite went with Lukas from now on, and Paul stayed in the smithy with Galan, and they set a ward if they wanted to concentrate on their work.

Hermes and Ophelie went out in the afternoons as well, visiting other villages, not by ship or by horse, Melissa suggested Hermes might take his slim wife along as he had carried her, and Ophelie loved being just with the two of them.

Melissa and Paul had asked Lukas what he had decided with regards to sharing love with her, and he had not shown any hurt. Aphrodite had promised to ask her whether she really wanted to share, or was just trying to fit in. If she really wanted to, Lukas would indulge her. He had detached himself from his sad memories on Aphrodite's advice. She said negative feelings had no place in his life, they would infect his patients.

He was obviously more at ease being around his step-mother, showing her real attention and trying to make her feel more comfortable.

Paul was very secretive about his exploits in the smithy, and Galan didn't say a word either. They were having some success, that much was clear, they were very smug. Every morning, Paul would let himself fall out of bed, do stretches, then swim for a quarter of an hour, supposedly to work out his muscle aches.

His wounds healed and his bruises faded, covered by a beautiful dark tan as well, whilst his hair lightened to almost blonde. He loved to play with the dolphins, who still guarded their villa from the sea-side, and came by to play every afternoon. Somehow they seemed to know when their human friends wanted to make love first, they never interrupted anything. With their help, Melissa's swimming improved manifold.

On the first day after their talk about babies, Lukas had taken Paul along as well for an hour or so, and they had seen and held a really tiny satyr baby.

He was even cuter than Melissa expected, with tiny hands, tiny hoofs and just two slight bumps on his head where his horns would break through after a few months. The mother was very proud of her beautiful son, and wasn't even too worried to let two complete strangers hold him whilst she talked to Master Lykos.

Seeing his beloved with a baby gave Paul a very weird feeling inside, and suddenly he understood Lukas a lot better. There was a place for one of those creatures in their home, even now. And in Melissa it did shake something loose, at first just a huge sadness that a gorgeous, innocent creature like this would be shunned in her own world.

But when they had moved on to other people, and other cases, she found her fear of babies in general greatly lessened. She could love them, even if they had ordinary feet and smooth heads.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Although she had spent most of her mornings and all of her afternoons with Lukas, they hadn't made love for two days, and she missed him enormously. She got plenty of love from Paul, his shape improved quickly, and he especially liked to frolic in the little bay, but she missed the intimacy with her goat-man.

On the third morning she made love to Paul, and he noticed something was not right. 'You miss Lukas, don't you? I do too. To think I used to be jealous of him, now I wish he'd join us. Let's ask him to make some time for us, before lunch. Agree?'

She nodded, feeling much better. Why hadn't they asked before?

And an hour before lunch they teleported themselves to the villa, running, not to the beach, but to their bed, losing clothes as soon as they were inside, not that they were wearing much, Ephyra was back to normal, and both Lukas and Melissa had adapted to the local fashion.

Paul was wearing trousers, and his leather apron, forging without covering up first was asking for burns all over.

Three naked bodies on the bed, how they had all missed this. They started exploring, and Lukas found Paul back to his usual state of solidly packed muscle, and his scent of smoke and sweat, a heady combination.

Feeling up Lukas, Paul found him getting positively smooth, muscle softening up, but it didn't feel at all bad, nice and soft, and did he have a little tummy, from all the nice cheese and the wine people kept pressing on him? Paul teased him a bit, but not too much, he had missed him and wanted to make the most of being together.

Lukas thrived under their attention, and when he really looked at Melissa again he seriously wondered how he had lived two whole days without stroking her breasts, and worshipping her creamy curves.

Although Lukas was dying to make Melissa shudder under his hands and tongue, he had picked up this new trick from Aphrodite, and he really wanted to share it with Paul, he'd just die of bliss, he nearly had himself.

And when Paul busied himself with his adoring wife, Lukas waited until Paul was fully occupied, so to speak, and got hold of his manly parts, now well on their way to a full recovery.

Of course Paul thought he knew what was coming, but he was in for a surprise. Lukas would not be the master of love if he hadn't thought of an improvement already, and within seconds his poor friend was rendered totally helpless with fervour.

Melissa looked on with an amused expression, deciding to keep watching instead of finding something else to do. Giving Paul just a few minutes of total bliss, Lukas allowed him a little more time to enjoy their lovemaking by moving his attentions to Melissa. After a short rest, Paul managed to pull himself together, and tried the same trick on Lukas, who was less excitable, but still felt its effect.

He paused a second to say, groaning: 'Oh, I knew that would be even better, how did you know how to do that? Did she?' 'She did, the day after I was taken, when she and Melissa shared love. Everything hurt, but she made me forget it all. We promised not to tell you. But your version is even better.'

And Paul continued until Lukas started to move along in a serious way, and Paul thought he'd like to thrust. But Lukas said: 'The lady is all yours, my aunt has taught me how to refrain from thrusting once in a while, or at least wait until the very last.'

'Did she also teach you to talk so much?' Melissa commented, 'get on with it, I don't care who!' Laughing, Paul bent over his lady and gave her what she wanted so badly, and she shuddered for his thrusting as nicely as for Lukas'. The latter was summoned to the lady, for she wanted something in her mouth by now, and Lukas who had been taught to enjoy being loved, was something she wanted to experience for herself.

And indeed, he managed to sit still, and she knew that bloody trick as well, but she honoured the old ones, too, keeping him in a constant state of bliss. And when Paul had climaxed and crashed, as he usually did, Lukas saw his chance to get some thrusting in after all.

He was on top of Melissa in a second, plunging in with a relish, kissing Paul first and Melissa next,

feeling over the moon to be back where he belonged, with the people he loved best.

Paul found he could watch easily, totally spent, enjoying the sight of Lukas indulging himself, and Melissa arching in delight. She had missed him so much.

They slept for an hour, then played with the dolphins and went back for lunch. After lunch Paul and Galan showed them what they had been working on, a lovely new forge, much more efficient and built according to Victorian standards. And steel swords, a pair of blades of a quality that was clearly unmatched, even in Victorian England, Melissa guessed, plus two matching knives, edges glittering in the shafts of sun falling in.

They were both so proud they gleamed.

'And this afternoon I want to defy paradox once more, teaching Galan and anyone else interested how to tack sails. I've prepared sketches, and we're off to the harbour immediately. Galan's captain friend is there at this very moment, waiting for us.'

Melissa was of two minds about it, she knew Paul was certain this world was not really the past of their own, so meddling here did not affect their own future. Hermes and Aphrodite agreed, but Melissa thought it was still wrong to have such a large impact on a different world. But Lukas might yet have a profound influence on their world, so maybe it would all even out somehow.

The whole party went, except Hermes and Ophelie, who were going out to visit remote villages again. They would be back for dinner at the villa, which the rest would bring with them from Ephyra. Galan and Katarina were not coming, having started to get more involved with the local people, both sharing love regularly now, enjoying their new role in the village, and their ability to really relate to their neighbours.

Galan's friend's boat was a small affair, wooden hull painted bright blue with a pair of staring eyes painted on the bow. It had a single mast, and an ungainly square sail. Paul was glad he had his drawings, it would take some adjustments to make this boat ready for real sailing.

The captain was less traditional than most seamen, he listened seriously to Paul's explanation, and Galan was eager to help him adapt the boat to become a ship. It would take time to put the theory into practice, but captain Urian understood the essence of the process, and saw its significance. He would certainly master it and become famous for it, and hopefully wealthy. Being the only captain able to sail a ship, however small, against the prevailing winds would be invaluable.

They spent the rest of the afternoon in the village, buying food for their feast tonight, shopping for souvenirs. Their time here was nearly up, there were just two days left until they were planning to return to London, and Lukas' planned attendance of Dionysus' judgement threw a large shadow over their remaining time here.

At their return to Katarina and Galan's house, they said their goodbyes, not knowing if they'd meet again. Lukas and Katarina kept up their spirits relatively well, somehow neither of them could believe he would never return here. That would largely depend on how things ended with Dionysus.

After saying their goodbyes they stepped into the circle and teleported to the villa. They stored the foodstuffs in the kitchen, where they would stay cool, and hung out on the terrace until Hermes and Ophelie would return.

Aphrodite was a little down, too, not because she feared her father or Dionysus of course, but because she hated the thought of Lykos leaving her.

Lukas asked: 'Will your father have interrogated Dionysus, is he in for severe punishment, or will he just be admonished for stealing me away and released? I was after all still a mortal when he had me taken.'

Looking thoughtful at how to explain, Aphrodite replied: 'Our father would not think much of Dionysus abducting you, though Hermes said our father seemed pleased to see you. But he spelled someone else's worshippers into insurgence, and that is forbidden.

Letting one underling disappear doesn't matter much, unless father counts you as being a god already, which he might, since you're his grandchild and Dionysus is not related to him.

But interfering with a whole people to a personal end is against our strictest rules. If he does not come up with a very good reason he may lose his freedom, his life or several essential body-parts. Father's wife Hera really hates Dionysus for some unknown reason, she'll try to get him punished as severely as possible.

But to answer your question, father will have incarcerated him somewhere safe and sturdy, and left him to his own devices, priming him to be as forthright as possible. Dionysus is not strong, he'll talk.'

The look in Aphrodite's eyes was positively scary. Paul dared to observe: 'You are really angry at him, aren't you?'

She still had a soft spot for him, for her expression changed instantly, and she said: 'I am, very much so. He had me mad as soon as I realized he had used me against my own brother. But then I got to know Lykos and learned what he had done to him, and I saw with my own eyes what he did to you and to his own niece, I hold him at least partially responsible to what happened to her as well. I want a piece of him, and you'll all better be miles away when I get it, for it will not be pretty. He'll live of course, but it will take years to grow back, and hurt like hell.'

Paul had really changed, for he held out his arms and said: 'Let me give you some love to calm you down.' She seemed strangely glad to get attention from him, and joined him eagerly.

'I want a piece of him too, though Hailee told me he was not entirely to blame. She said someone put him up to it. If so, there may be trouble. Can I take the gun, Paul? I'm taking George and Tristan's device anyway, we'll just have to make a clear arrangement what to do if something goes awry. Are you sure you can handle yourself, Aphrodite?'

She nodded and said: 'I'm one of the strongest gods here, I bow to my father's will out of respect for him, but he could not beat me in a one-on-one contest. And I have many allies, my husband has a large and powerful family, and they will all support me.

My affinity with sea-creatures has endeared me to Poseidon, and most other gods cannot help loving me, even fathers wife quite likes me. I think I'm safe.

But honestly, father seems to like Lykos, and to beat him, me, Hermes and Lykos himself seems impossible.

Do you want to stay here? I'll ask my dolphins to stay. Hermes will want Ophelie safe too, though her house is remote and her teleport well-guarded, and her staff is Gifted and very loyal. I suppose you'd rather not stay at Hermes' palace.'

She felt Paul shudder under her, and remarked: 'I guess that is a no.'

The atmosphere of impending doom had not improved for Melissa and Paul, though Lukas didn't seem to feel it, but their conversation had killed a lot of time, and Hermes and Ophelie arrived, not through the teleport, but via the beach. Ophelie's hair was mussed, and her cheeks were blushed with excitement by the swift journey.

They laid the table for dinner, and soon they were all sitting together, eating and talking and laughing. Both Hermes and Aphrodite blanked out for a moment at the same time, and said that was their father summoning them to the meeting tomorrow. They'd pick up Katarina and teleport straight to Olympus.

'I would prefer to have you all stay at Ophelie's place, do you agree?' Hermes asked, 'it is remote and very well-guarded. The staff is totally loyal to her and very Gifted.'

'I have one objection,' Paul interjected, 'Damara. I do not want to share love with her again, but I'm sure she will expect me to. I can only stay at your place if you explain to her why I cannot. Is that acceptable?'

Ophelie hastened to assure him: 'Of course, I will tell her what happened and she will leave you alone. I will be tense every moment Hermes is gone anyway, I don't trust the whole situation, Dionysus is not known for his subtlety, this whole plot reeks of someone else involved, someone powerful enough to scare Dionysus into silence. I'm afraid there is more afoot.

Better be on your guard, all of you. I fear for Katarina, she cannot defend herself at all.'

Feeling supported at last, Melissa offered: 'Can't she take another of those devices, Lukas, Paul? She'd end up in our basement, but we'd get her back home somehow. Hermes could fetch her. I would not like to be in her shoes, you can fight, Lykos, and you can flee, but she cannot do anything but hope for the best. She is mortal and therefore of no consequence.'

'And we will want to know the spell to the demon world, so we can reach the portal by ourselves if at all possible,' said Paul.

'Such doom and gloom, what is wrong with you?' exclaimed Hermes, 'this is supposed to be a party. You will be back in England in two more days, let us please enjoy these last few moments together. I will take good care of Katarina, and sis here will take excellent care of Lykos, and we'll say our say and be back before you know it.'

And in a way he was right, they were all gloomy, so they had another glass of wine and tried to be gay. After an hour of small-talk and story-telling, Lukas caught Aphrodite's eye, and led Ophelie away to the beach. She looked after him with approval, he was a good person, and a good healer. There was something she really wanted for herself, which she thought she could never have, but she was contemplating to just ask and see what happened.

She had seen the effect of Lykos' healing on Paul, and she really, really wanted to share her love with the strong man she admired for his artistry but also for the burning love and indomitable will he had in him. He had told her frankly just now that he was not going to share again, so what chance did she have?

But an ancient goddess, beautiful and powerful, had no insecurities worth mentioning, so she decided to just ask and see what he wanted. She acted immediately, and sat on his other side, Melissa being seated on his one side.

Frankness would be the only way, so she just dived in: 'Would you consider sharing love with me tonight, Paul? Just this once? I've wanted to taste your burning love since we met, and this is probably my last chance.'

He was stunned by her request, that much was clear. But she didn't see outright refusal, or even fear, in him. She had surprised him utterly, and he needed to think it over.

He looked at Melissa, questioningly, and she shrugged, it was his call, she didn't mind.

'But why?' he asked, 'I'm just a very ordinary guy, not even a very good lover. Why would you want me if you're used to Lykos?'

'You are in no way ordinary, Paul, I can feel you burning from here, you have so much love in you. I know it cannot be mine, but I thought I might taste it for once. But I will not blame you if you don't want to, I know you love very exclusively, in fact I heard you swear to never share again.'

Taking in the situation, he said: 'Actually I don't mind, I kind of like you, I trust you, you have been very nice to me when I needed it, I am inclined to give you what you want. But Melissa has the last say, she'll be left behind with Hermes, once again.'

Melissa still didn't seem to mind, and she said in a steady voice: 'I really don't mind, Paul, I think it is kind of fitting, to share once more and then be done with it.'

Seeing Aphrodite's face as she heard this, Paul was more or less convinced she somehow really wanted him. It was kind of gratifying. So he let her lead him away, looking back only once, and getting a decided wink from Melissa.

Melissa sat next to Hermes and said: 'Left behind together once more, Hermes. And this time it wasn't planned, but I feel much more at home here than in your palace, with those hungry courtiers everywhere.'

He swallowed audibly and said huskily: 'Let it be very clear this was totally unplanned, but I must admit it does give me some memories. You must have been very sorry to have shared with me last time, since it enabled Rhoda to take Paul.'

'I was, for a while, not for you, for we had a good time, but I did think I might have prevented Paul from being taken if I had stayed with him. But Aphrodite told me she could have taken both of us, and that would have been the end of Lykos, for neither of us would have returned to him.' The very idea was too awful for words, but Melissa had already cried once today, and she was not going to twice. It seemed those Greeks had infected her with their emotions.

Hermes looked beat, that had never occurred to him either, and he didn't want to contemplate it, it had not happened.

'May I kiss you once more?' the sleek god asked her shyly. Shyly? Yes, there was no other word for it, he asked it shyly. She realized Paul had counted on this happening, both of them sharing once more, with someone trustworthy, and deserving. Melissa couldn't even call it indulging him anymore, she actually wanted to share with Hermes one more time, he was a great lover, and he really cared for her.

She didn't answer, but offered to kiss him. There was electricity as their mouths met, and the irony of the situation struck her, on this very terrace, next he'd offer to fly with her. Somehow he felt her laughter bubbling up, and he looked at her questioningly, not breaking off the kiss though. He was still a bit in love with her.

When the kiss came to a natural end, she did laugh, and observed: 'One of those dreams the elven statues sent me was just like this, you and me kissing on this very terrace. Afterwards you took me flying and we made love with passion.'

'Those things, how did they know this place?' Hermes was seriously put out. 'Anyway, I'm not taking you flying, I'm not leaving my son and my wife behind tonight, life is just always on the edge here. Maybe we'll pack everything up in a few months, move to London. A couple of citizens extra, they won't notice, will they?'

'No, nobody will notice. But you will be missed here,' she replied, 'and life is not perfect there, either.'

'Well then, what can we do but make love passionately then?' he asked cheekily, half-expecting her to refuse. And as she answered: 'I can't think of anything either, so we'd better. Damned elves, they'll love being right all along,' he lifted her bodily and carried her to his room, carefully laying her on his bed.

And then she felt his smooth body again, and experienced not his burning love, nor his boundless energy, but the gentle skill that came with ages of practice in the art of loving. They coupled with passion, knowing this would be the last time their bodies would ever meet, and not even sorry for that, for they both had partners they truly loved. They took their time, knowing the others would do too, and Melissa only caught herself thinking of getting pregnant afterwards.

She did not want a baby at all, but certainly not from Hermes. He must have caught that thought, for he smiled, and said: 'Don't worry, I don't sire children easily, none of the gods do. With our long lifespans, I suppose the world would otherwise be overrun with our offspring.

I hope Lykos is not the exception, though he might be, having been a god for such a short time. I had hoped to make love to my own wife often enough to father our children myself this time. Not everyone gets a second chance.'

He was really sweet, and much more generous than she would ever have thought when she first met him. She kissed him again, and they defied her fears by doing everything all over again.

When Melissa went to her own bed, Paul was already there, asleep, but very lightly. He awoke when she crawled in next to him, and embraced her tightly, mumbling: 'And, are you worried to have a little godling?'

She laughed, how well did he know her, and replied: 'Actually I was, but Hermes told me gods aren't particularly fertile, he suspected to prevent the world from being overrun with little godlings. Did you have a good time?'

'I did,' was his reply, 'there is something special about making love to someone with centuries of experience, that cannot be denied. Still, I'll be happy to go back to our Victorian morals.'

'Me too,' Melissa could not but agree with him, 'though I did notice the same thing: making love is certainly a skill that improves with age. Maybe we should keep sharing for holidays, to broaden our own skills.'

'If you don't mind I'll refrain from an opinion on the subject of holidays until Lukas has returned to us safely tomorrow. That will probably decide whether I'll ever set foot on this world again.' Paul really didn't trust in a good ending to this adventure, and to be frank, Melissa was not entirely easy about it either.

'Will you lend him the gun?' she asked her beloved, feeling torn between fear of the dangerous thing, and trust in its destructive capacity.

'I will, and I want Lukas to pick up a steel knife from Galan's smithy, I know he can handle one. Too bad we didn't get to practice with the gun. Though he will be with Hermes and Aphrodite, what enemy could turn up that they cannot handle?'

Paul changed the subject: 'I jested just now about pregnancies and babies, but are you still as afraid? I wouldn't want you to think I don't take your fears seriously, for I do now. I must admit I didn't before, it just seemed such an unreal subject. But I suppose that is the whole point, the reason why women get stuck with the babies. I promise you that if you do get pregnant, which I understand now is just a matter of time, I will take my responsibility.'

'Thank you, love. I'm not as afraid anymore, Aphrodite was right, I missed the facts. And knowing both of you will be there for me, or rather, us, is essential. Let's forget about it now, and enjoy our freedom while it lasts.'

Their bodies were too sated to make love all over again, and they missed Lukas a lot, so they cuddled until they got really tired, then went to sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next morning they memorized the spell from the teleport to the demon world, and Paul handed Lukas the gun and several cartridges. He noticed that Lukas was wearing trousers and his leather vest, ready for action. Lukas also took two of the devices that were supposed to take the holder back to their basement in London instantly.

He would only use it in a life-threatening situation, but he had no way to warn them if he had to use it. They decided that if the party had not returned that night, Melissa and Paul would go through the portal by themselves, straight from Ophelie's house.

Though he had no skills with it, Paul wished he had one of those steel swords with him, but some cool part of his brain told him to not see danger where it wasn't. They'd spend a nice day with Ophelie, maybe learning some more about Lukas' youth, and in the evening they would all be together again for dinner.

As they said their goodbyes in the teleport-cellar, Hermes said: 'I can reach both of you via the link, I'll try to keep you posted. Try not to worry too much, we have nothing to fear at my father's hands, and nothing can threaten four gods.

And they were off, Ophelie staying behind with them. As they prepared to leave for her house themselves, the teleport activated and Galan arrived in the mosaic. He said: 'Katarina insisted I stay with you today. So I am coming with you. I brought the swords, I thought we might spend some time testing them.'

'You know how to use one?' Paul asked eagerly, 'I've had a few fencing lessons in my youth, but my parents preferred I learn magic.'

Galan grinned, and said: 'Actually I'm quite good, and these babies are lighter and much stronger that the weapons I'm used to.'

He really loved those swords, that much was clear to Melissa. He must be a good fighter, with his strong satyr legs and his super-developed smith's muscles.

She had always admired the elegance of sword-fighters, and had a secret wish to learn herself, in busy London she had just never gotten around to learning. But it would be great exercise, for Jonathan too.

They teleported to the big house, having left all their stuff at the villa. Ophelie showed them around the house, and Melissa was really impressed by its solid structure, an earthquake would have little impact on it, and it was built very cleverly to keep as much heat out as possible, and still let in cooler evening breezes.

As they sat in the main room for a while, the guys talking iron of course, showing signs of withdrawal being without their forge and hammer, but holding out well so far, Ophelie sat close to Melissa as if she wanted to talk confidently.

Curious as ever, Melissa hoped she'd hear more of last night, and indeed, the now stunningly beautiful young woman said: 'Last night was really special for me, Melissa. I'm very happy to have finally gotten Hermes' attention, I ached for him for such a long time, but there was still some tension between Lykos and me.

I loved him too, all those years, and I wanted to run off with him and leave everything behind, certain Hermes would never care for me. But propriety stopped me, I couldn't leave my people behind and I really did love Hermes very much. Well, you'll understand, loving two men.

Melissa asked: 'But why didn't you just love Lykos and stay wed to Hermes? Sharing is quite accepted here, isn't it?'

'I didn't dare, Hermes was different then. Very rarely he made love to me the way he is now, incredibly gentle and caring, but he could be insensitive and cruel as well, and I thought him rather jealous. I was afraid he'd hurt Lykos if he found out.

But still I loved both, those few times Hermes showed his true nature made such an impression on me, and he was the god my people looked to for everything, it was my duty to my people to stay with him. Also, I don't like to share love that much, I just don't care about other men the way I do about Hermes.

But Lykos, that needed doing, and it healed the hurt between us. He is so happy with you, he could forgive me for being so cold to him all those years. And he is the master of love, that much is clear. He had me gasping and shuddering at the same time.

Thank you so much for taking such good care of him, it was painful to see him so lonely all the time and not being able to help him. He was the simply the best father to Katarina, such a gentle and sweet man.'

Aphrodite had been right, detaching himself from his negative feelings had been a good thing for Lukas, it had healed the breach between him and his step-mother.

There was one thing Melissa wanted to leave behind for Ophelie: 'Has Lykos told you about our world, where loving just one person, and not sharing love at all, is considered the right thing to do? Not everyone can stick to it, the way I live with two men would be considered a disgrace, but most people in our world like having just one partner.

What I mean to say is, that maybe you are one of those people, who don't want to share, who are happy with their own partner. Sharing may not be healthy for you, but a burden, a bow to propriety, as it has been for Paul. He doesn't really want to share, he is happy with me and has had to learn to love Lykos.

If that is the case, why not talk to Hermes and stop trying?'

'Lykos did tell me. I liked sharing with him, but only for what was between us, I wouldn't like to do it again. I am going to talk to Hermes, tell him sharing is not for me, and beg him to accept my love as it comes. Sharing is healthy if the inclination and the desire are there, but I don't have them, I am complete with Hermes' love, and I hope for a child of his, if I shared it will probably be someone else's again, I don't want that.'

Melissa winked at her and said: 'I've heard that Aphrodite is really good at issues of the heart. Maybe she can help you conceive his child. But be quick if you mean to consult her, for Lykos may still be as fertile as ever.'

'I love Katarina, and even I never knew for certain who her father was, but I am going to take your advice.'

They thought it was sensible to go outside for the testing of the swords, so they stepped out on the terrace behind the main room. It was spacious and shady, and they could be back inside the house in a second if danger struck.

Galan demonstrated his skill in a sword-form, and it was a marvel to behold. He moved fast enough to be difficult to follow, and killed imaginary enemies with graceful sweeps of the bright blade. When he had worked himself in a sweat, he wanted to try out Paul's skill, standing opposite him and drawing him out in traditional moves.

But that didn't work at all, his moves were so different from the English traditions, that Paul didn't recognize even one. So he demonstrated what he remembered, and the sword did indeed feel balanced in his hand.

Having seen his style, Galan tried to adapt to Paul, and now something resembling a fight ensued. But it was clear Paul was just not skilled enough to really spar, so Galan demonstrated his techniques instead, teaching Melissa the right way to hold a blade, and running her through some basic exercises. She liked it a lot.

They were very busy, paying only slight attention to their surroundings, when Galan suddenly stopped his demonstration and looked up at the blue sky.

Melissa felt a shiver run down her back, a feeling of premonition. She followed Galan's line of sight and saw a dark shape cross the sun.

Within a second, Paul was alight with power, and he quietly asked: 'Do we meet that here, or do we go inside? Your house is so strongly built, it will probably withstand any creature.'

Impressively, Ophelie showed no fear at all, of course she was used to being married to a god with plenty of enemies, but still, she seemed so helpless.

She did not hesitate for a moment and said: 'We meet it here, if we don't destroy it, it may ravage the countryside. My people do not fight, they tend to accept their fate. Excepting Galan here. What do you think, Galan?'

'We fight here, mother. Will you call Kadmus and Damara? We may need their help.'

Ophelie blanked out for a moment, then spoke: 'It is done. Do we attack first, together? Hit it with magic?'

Looking a bit lost, Paul admitted: 'I'm not strong with tactics, I am well-schooled in the use of combative magic, but I have always operated on my own. You tell me what to do, and I'll do it.'

Melissa readied her shields, and a fireball, but somehow she didn't think her strength was in her force, she needed to find a place where she could use her ability to see into things. She said: 'I'm going to hide, I'm not very experienced in magic or weapons-craft.'

Very happy to find her sensible and level-headed, Paul watched her disappear behind a statue, then kept his eye on the approaching monster.

For a monster it was, it had the body of a giant bull, huge wings that should not be able to lift its strong body, and the face of a man. The face did not show intelligence though, this was clearly a beast, or a demon. It looked to be very strong, and Paul readied a layered shield and a potent fireball.

Behind them, Damara and Kadmus appeared, Kadmus taking an offensive stance, and Damara looking at Ophelie questioningly. Her mistress pointed at Melissa's hiding-place, and the girl lighted up and ran for cover.

Suddenly, a potent shield came into being over the whole group, blue in colour, and layered beyond Paul's immediate comprehension. He'd have to study it to understand its composition, but not now, he knew Damara was making it, and he was glad to have his love protected by the closeness of such a potent mage, young though she seemed to be.

Ophelie was ready for offensive magic, and Galan stayed a little behind, both swords in a fighting stance.

The construct, for that is what it seemed to be, didn't come to talk, for it came at them with its hoofs out and its wings folded, to make more speed. It seemed over-large and clumsy, but constructs could be very fast, and impervious to magic.

Dammit, impervious to magic! He let his power drain back into his reserves, and started to think, what could he conjure up to hurt a really big bull? To fight a bull, one distracted the front and attacked the back, or baited it until it was tired.

Kadmus and Ophelie let fly, and as he had feared, their fireballs did not penetrate the monster's defence Paul concentrated his magic to a point before him, thinking of Hermes on their wedding day, and used his power to construct a really powerful bull-baiting dog. It materialized and immediately attacked, going for the sensitive belly of the great bull.

The creature was shocked that something could hurt it, it was clearly used to being bombarded with power, not with constructs.

Paul expected the others to emulate him, but the bovine smell assailing him, and the raucous cries emanating from their enemy brought home to him that this was not a construct, but a real animal. His companions didn't know how to construct a life-form from magic! They were momentarily confused, but the bull was kicking at his dog now, he'd have it killed in seconds without a serious distraction.

'Distract it!' he cried, setting an example by flinging flashing magic at it, directing its attack to himself. Apparently they knew bull-baiting, for as his flash expired, Kadmus caused one to be in the corner of the monster's eye. It ran towards him, then got distracted by a flash on his other side, Ophelie's doing.

As the fireworks started, Melissa realized the creature was not very fast, nor very smart, but it was durable, resistant to magic, and it would become really dangerous once they started to get tired. She told Damara: 'Cover me, I'm going to look for a weak spot. If it sees me, distract it.'

'Mistress, I can make you difficult to see,' Damara said.

'Please do, then I can go closer!'

The girl lighted up, and though she didn't feel a difference, she needed to do something, and she carefully approached the creature, checking it with sight.

It was not a smart creature to construct, the human face restricted its field of vision, though it would see very well in front of it. It probably couldn't smell any better than a person, and it didn't have any horns or canines. Foolish choice!

She recognized the tactics Paul used, baiting the creature to keep it from directing its attack, the bulldog harrying the soft underside, the rest drawing its attention away from the dog.

Melissa could see the shields on the creature light up, they were superb, and layered, she'd dare call them impenetrable by magic. But by a weapon?

Looking deeper, she could see the body was just that, a normal body, with organs, only there was a problem, it had two hearts! One near the head, and one near the back, and one in the back was the one that mattered.

The layered shield did not envelop the whole body, the underside was vulnerable, they could shoot fireballs under it.

The wings looked weak as well, the attachment to the bull's body was makeshift, and could be used to hurt it.

Relaying this information to Paul by a mind-link, she saw it was probably not even needed, it was starting to weaken already. The human face was a caricature of a dying warrior, agony wrenching its features. The belly was a mess, the magical bulldog had ripped it open, safe to wreak havoc because the creature was constantly distracted by flashes of bright light assailing its eyes.

But now it was getting desperate, ignoring the flashes it attacked the person its eyes fell on first, and that was herself, despite Damara's spell! She saw the huge body come right at her, ready to trample her into the ground, and she was really close.

Scrambling for safety, a shimmering blue wall appeared between herself and the monster, but it did not stop though the wall crackled with lightning, the thing ran right through it, slowed only slightly by the electricity hitting its shield.

Aiming for a tree, Melissa ran for her life, realizing she could not outrun a four-legged animal, though it was already weak.

Suddenly she had reached the tree, and from behind it she checked why she wasn't dead. The monster had been distracted once again, but not by light this time.

Facing it one-on-one was Galan, swords whirling around him. Prancing heavily, the thing tried to keep him at a distance, but it had taken so much damage already. Still the front of it had no vital organs, Galan needed to skewer the heart in the hindquarters.

A flash from one of the swords, and the creature had a large cut over one eye, bleeding profusely. Melissa wondered why it didn't flee, it might kill one of them, but never all. Why would it stay here to be slaughtered?

A movement from the house pulled Melissa's eyes towards it, and she saw Ophius walk towards Paul. Did Hermes send him to their aid? That could not be, he could be there by himself much quicker. Ophius looked worried, and he was gesturing in a frenzy.

Melissa decided to take the chance, the monster was deadlocked with Galan, if it attacked her Galan would get an opening towards its hindquarters.

Running towards Ophius, she heard him say: 'The master needs Melissa, you cannot stay and fight this brute, it's done for anyway. You need to come with me, let Galan finish it or rout it.'

Paul called out: 'Galan, can you finish this thing with Damara's help? Hermes is in trouble, he needs us.'

Galan called back: 'I'm good, I'll cut it into steaks. Damara, you distract the front with one of these, I'll take the back. She came into view, and Galan tossed her one of the swords, handle first of course. She caught it expertly, and took his place at its head, slashing at the face and the rearing front legs.

Paul dismissed the magical bulldog, and as they ran towards the teleport, Ophius explained: 'I got a summons from Hermes just now, they put pressure on Dionysus to tell the truth, he held out much longer than they thought, and when he finally cracked, a strange, powerful goddess appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of Olympus, and when she couldn't get to Dionysus, supposedly to silence him, she took Hermes somewhere.

He dared not use magic strong enough to submit her, so he is playing along with her, hoping Melissa can find him. We're to meet with the rest at Olympus.

He wants you to take Katarina away from there, Ophelie, she's done her job perfectly.'

After the familiar lurch of the teleport they looked around, and the first thing Melissa saw was Lukas' cute face, worried, but not in a panic yet. He was alone, and took her hand, almost pulling her along, saying: 'Grandfather is waiting for you. Father contacted Aphrodite to tell her he was fine but didn't dare resist, he remembered he should not use magic.

He had no clue where he was, but he thought you might find him. We'll bring you up to speed.'

The room with the mosaic was the same as everywhere, just a dark basement with a beautiful mosaic pattern on the floor. The only difference was that this one was lighted with lamps instead of natural light falling in through a slit in the wall.

They entered a hall, clearly hewn out of bedrock, well-lighted with the same lamps. Their path did not go upstairs, but rather further down, and the atmosphere became a bit dank. Paul was not happy here, Melissa was glad he had been healed, or he would have been in mental agony by now.

Lukas seemed to sense Paul's discomfort, for he let go of her hand and took Paul's. That helped, Paul's expression cleared.

They came to a series of cells, this was probably where Dionysus was imprisoned. Lukas looked like he knew exactly where they were going.

A few more turns, and they reached a small cell, bare but not dirty, with a simple pallet on which two men were sitting, both of whom she knew. The chubby god Dionysus, looking haggard and beat, and the wise old man she knew was Zeus, the boss of all the Greek gods. Katarina was not in sight.

Ophius having gone back through the teleport, Lukas introduced the three of them to his grandfather, taking his time, considering the circumstances. Of course he was back to the charming diplomat, and looking great in his official capacity. He must have been an excellent herald.

Zeus got up, and greeted Ophelie first, calling her by name, embracing her, and assuring her that her husband would be fine and back in her arms within a day at most.

'Your daughter did really well testifying, she is a very strong woman. I have heard she is a fabulous artist as well, I'd like to see some of her work some day soon. I'm planning to visit the people whom this whole mess was about, anyway.'

Ophelie bowed, and said: 'Thank you very much, Master. I hope to bring her back with me immediately, my house was invaded today and her husband was still fighting the creature as we left.'

'What did the creature look like?' asked the ruler of the gods, 'it may help finding your husband, though we have a suspicion where he was taken.'

'It was a very large bull, with the head of a man, and huge eagle's wings. It was resistant to magic, but slow and kind of stupid.'

'Hmm, I've heard of that kind, was it a construct, or real?'

Ophelie looked confused, she clearly did not know what a construct was.

Paul spoke up: 'It looked like a construct, but it was flesh and blood, it smelled bovine, and it bled and screamed as it was hit.'

'Ah, your friend, the superb artist. I'm so glad they managed to recover you in time, though I've heard you paid a large price. Glad to see you look so well, I'm sorry to hear you got embroiled in this.

I'd like to talk to you some more, my daughter said you have all kinds of interesting knowledge, about special iron, a new kind of sailing, magic that is only known to the gods here. But first let me greet you properly.'

And the ruler of the Greek gods embraced Paul familiarly, and said: 'I'm very pleased to meet you, Paul. My daughter is very fond of you, and of the necklace you made her.'

'Thank you very much, Master Zeus,' Paul replied.

And in one go he embraced Melissa as well, kissed her chastely on the cheeks, and said: 'Finally we meet in the flesh. You are very beautiful, though my daughter had already told me that before I saw you the first time. You are very welcome, for my son seems to think you have a special talent for seeing things. He expects you to be able to find him, so we can retrieve him, and punish the barbarian goddess who sowed dissent in my realm. She has much to answer for.'

But we'll speak of that later, first things first. This rather forlorn fellow has something to say to Paul. After that, we'll join my daughter and Lukas', and plan strategy.

Go on, Dionysus, speak your piece.'

The inmate of the cell looked even more lost, and he showed his usual pathos. He fell at Paul's feet and said in a broken voice: 'Master Paul, I'm so very sorry for what my niece did to you. I let myself be taken in by Ishtar, a lush goddess from Babylon, who promised me fleshly pleasures defying the limitations of the physical body, and the worship of the most loving people in the world, the satyrs.

Though the satyr I loved best of all people, Lykos, wasn't so loving anymore.'

Paul looked at the grovelling heap of godhood with something like disgust, and he said: 'I will accept your apology for what was done to me, for I know your niece didn't torture me for your good, she did it to satisfy her own lust, a lust that violated every physical limitation of my body at least.'

He was not done, not yet. Taking Lukas in his arms, stroking his curls, he soothed his lover, who couldn't help being hurt by Dionysus' undeserved words, saying: 'But I scorn you for not taking your own responsibility in this.

Your own weakness allowed you to fall under that goddess' spell. And if the way you treated Lykos is how you treat the person you love best, I'm not surprised you needed a lush goddess to find you fleshly pleasures. Had you treated him with the respect he deserved, Lykos would still be the sweetest and most loving person in the world to you, as he still is to me. You should have seen him as he came to us, beaten, starved of love, almost dying of loneliness.

Anyone else would have hated you for it, but despite everything that you did to him, he still forgives you and is hurt by your words. It is Lykos you should beg for forgiveness, not me, he loves you, I don't.'

And here, Dionysus showed he was not totally hopeless, for he broke down and cried, not hysterically, but silently this time. He did not grovel, but sat on his pallet in defeat, head bowed, hands in his hair.

He whispered: 'How could he ever forgive me for what I've done? I betrayed him so totally he must hate me. Himself, his people, his sister, his aunt, his friend, and now, his father. I betrayed them all. If I cannot forgive myself, how could anyone else?'

Paul said stonily: 'You're forgetting your niece, you betrayed her, too. And you're still feeling sorry for yourself. Face him!'

Slowly, very slowly, Dionysus looked up at Lukas, trying to look him in the eye, but not succeeding, not yet. Lukas gazed back at him, expression unreadable, but his eyes gave him away, he still felt hurt, sold for the promise of kinky sex, barely escaping a life of servitude and misery that Paul didn't even know about yet.

But Paul had read his feeling well, Lukas had forgiven his former employer and friend, he could not love him anymore, but he did not hate him either, even with his father's life still in the balance. His father. They should save him, instead of standing here doing nothing.

Just as Dionysus managed to look directly at him, Lukas decided they needed to go, his father was taken further and further away from him.

The formerly jolly god saw the worry in the gentle face he had wanted to kiss more than once, the boy he had loved to distraction. What had gotten into him to sacrifice goodness itself? He wanted to touch the man who had grown from the most beloved boy, feel the stumps of the once-glorious horns. But he did not have the right, he did not even have the right to beg for forgiveness. First all his sins had to be known. Would he be judged for one more life, the life of the messenger of the gods, Zeus' most appreciated son?

Still avoiding Lykos' eyes, he spoke: 'First find your father, if you can still find forgiveness in you afterwards, I'll face you, and beg you for it. I don't deserve a second of your time until Hermes is back safely.'

Lykos left Dionysus without speaking or looking back. The gorgeous red-headed girl did look back with pity. She didn't know half of it, next time he saw her she'd look at him as the artist had done, with contempt and disgust.

They went up now, walking at a solid pace, silent, Paul close to Lukas, Melissa pushing herself to keep up. Was the air thinner here or something?

Passing by the teleport-chamber, they went up even further, until they entered a small but stylish room without windows, lighted with lamps, furnished with great care.

Aphrodite and Katarina were there, and Ophelie fell into her daughter's arms. She wanted to leave for her home straight away, and Zeus summoned a servant to take the two of them to the teleport. Just before she left the room, Katarina handed Melissa something rather large and heavy, and the manner in which she did that suggested Melissa better keep the thing a secret.

Melissa pocketed it, a tight fit in her current dress, and from the feel of it she suspected it was a gun. But she could see Paul's gun tucked into Lukas' belt openly.

Galan and Paul had made a second gun in total secret, Melissa bet especially for the occasion. As it was, Melissa was not going to complain, she had come to love Hermes slightly differently than a father-in-law, and she would kill to protect him. A gun made her feel safe, though she had no clue what it would shoot, she guessed not cartridges but powder and a lead bullet, it would have to be something Galan could produce himself. That would give her one shot, which was not a lot, but it might be enough to distract.

They embraced Aphrodite silently, then sat down.

'Before you leave to find my son, you need to know what you are up against. Lukas assures me he can move nearly as fast as his father, even with you along. We will follow a short time later, we will teleport to you as soon as we know a location.

Nonetheless those few moments will be very dangerous for the both of you, for our enemy is a goddess from a different civilisation. Her name is Ishtar, and she is the goddess of love and war for the Babylonians. Her own civilisation is in decline, her worshippers lessening in numbers and dedication, and she is seeking to replace Aphrodite here.

She subverted Dionysus to her cause, promising him sex better than just physical loving, involving debaucheries, depravities and total abandonment. Besides being bored and theatrical, Dionysus is not very smart, not in the mind nor in the ways of the world.

He was ensnared before he realized it, and only then found she meant him to sacrifice one of his most beloved friends, Lykos Hermeides, his herald and already called the master of love by many. He was to disappear in disgrace, and to be given to herself in servitude, to be used as she saw fit, then discarded.

It seems Dionysus couldn't face delivering his favourite to that fate, and hired the demon kind to take him and deposit him in an alien world. After a painful ordeal, Lykos ended up in Melissa's loving arms, totally out of reach.

Hermes did not give him up as lost, but asked the oracle for advice, and found him. Together they solved the next plot, subverting the satyrs, a double bill to bring Hermes and Aphrodite down, and to win the power of the satyrs' love.

Paul's ordeal was not the deprived action of a mad individual, Rhoda had been subtly abused night after night for months, as punishment for Lykos' loss, her mind lost in the process, and her hatred directed at Lykos, should he ever appear in court again, or Hermes, should she ever find him in the right circumstances.

What Ishtar wants with Hermes now is not clear, according to Dionysus she is overconfident, thinking she can subvert him, I hope this is true with all my heart.

Ishtar can subvert virtually any mortal, and Lykos is not long enough into his strength to withstand her, you can only find her and mark her for us. We'll take care of her. Aphrodite will squash her for all of us who suffered from her actions. But most of all, I want my son back!'

That scared Melissa, seeing that wise old man release his anger. She felt kind of safe, knowing he'd be behind her, but only if she could do what everyone expected her to do, find Hermes. She could only think of following his magic link back to him, if that didn't work, what was left?

Quietly, she invoked sight, and was relieved to see a thin pink line, like Paul's boundary, running away through the bedrock walls of the chamber. A bit corny, but if it worked...

'I think I can see the link, shall we try straight away? Every second counts. Let's find the closest exit.'

Lukas laughed merrily, and said: 'I think not, we're up thousands of feet, you'd faint for lack of air. I'll take you to the ground-floor exit. But what about Paul, can he come with you, or will you take him back to Ophelie's house?'

His grandfather replied: 'We will take him, he will want to see justice done for what was done to him, and to his captor. And he knows magic we don't, we might need him yet. We will see you soon. Take care, Lukas!'

As Lukas lighted up and Melissa felt herself lose weight, she said in a soft voice: 'He calls you Lukas, not Lykos.'

Lukas looked at her for a second, and then he shot off, nearly as fast as his father, halls blurring, Melissa hoping no-one would open a door in front of them.

Nothing happened, and they were outside, at the foot of a huge mountain. Melissa was bit disappointed to find Olympus so, well, as she expected it. But she also saw that pink line, and felt a twinge of a strange emotion, pink, the power of love. Hermes had given her his love as well as his power. But no doubt Ophelie had one just like it, gods had a lot of love to give.

Concentrating on her task, she linked with Lukas on a superficial level, not distracting him, but enabling him to see what she saw. He was still speeding up, over gravelled beaches, choppy seas, more hills, treetops.

Seconds became minutes, half an hour, an hour, and still that line went on, and Lukas kept on running. The country was gorgeous, they were above the sea now, but in sight of the coast, they must be close then, the line didn't follow the course Ishtar had taken, but the shortest route from Hermes to herself.

She sent a message to Lukas, 'take care, we're closing in', and Lukas slowed a tiny bit. Melissa tried to see ahead, and indeed, she spotted the end of the line, a tiny boat without a crew. Propelled by magic? She was clearly not from around here, didn't she know Poseidon disliked magic-use on his seas?

Lukas had seen the boat as well, and ran towards land. If he stopped on the sea, he'd sink like anyone else, Melissa guessed. They could still follow the line, but each on their own feet now, Melissa back to her own weight, feeling the heat not a little.

And she had not even done the tough bit, Lukas was heaving, but he kept on walking, he let her know that was better to cool down anyway. They did not talk, but shared thoughts.

Finally they saw a little camp, night was close, and even this goddess didn't want to be on the Mediterranean at night in a tiny ship. Didn't she have other means to move about?

Waiting in the bushes, they saw two vague shapes around a fire, Hermes seemed unbound and unharmed.

Suddenly Melissa heard a clear voice in her mind, and she a fear she hadn't known she felt, left her. 'You're here, good, I knew you'd find me. Lykos here? Even better. Don't try anything yourself, wait for my father and sister, this is one dangerous lady. I felt Poseidon close in on us, but I asked him to keep his distance unless she started to hurt me.

This is between my family and her, and Poseidon respects that. See you soon. Love you.'

She didn't need to send love back, he'd felt it in his reception.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lukas looked at the landscape behind him, pictured an interesting rock-formation in a clearing just behind them, and seconds later three shapes materialized. Why hadn't this goddess done that? What if she could still do that?

Melissa sent that observation to Lukas, hoping Hermes would catch it, too. Lukas didn't know. Hermes thought she probably couldn't, she was even older than they, much older. She must have had some link to Dionysus to teleport to him, or maybe the gods in her country would find out if she just dropped in.

Aphrodite and Zeus now gestured at the three of them to stay in the bushes, as they walked into the clearing and confronted the barbarian goddess heads on. Ishtar looked at Hermes, and saw she had been deluded.

Knowing they would give her no quarter, she prepared her last defence, magic of course. Her shields were awesome, and she called lightning down. It was a real show of force, but thinking of the hound of hell, even Melissa was not impressed. Until she smelled a strong randy odour from behind her.

She turned around, and saw three creatures really close, same men's heads, same eagles' wings, but lion bodies this time. They were so close, that she shouted a warning and fished the gun out of her pocket. Brace herself, aim at the human head, pull the trigger.

The thunder of the shot was louder than the magic battle in the clearing. One creature dropped, a single bullet-hole between the eyes.

Paul had a large wolf out this time, trying to hamstring one of the felines, as Lukas took aim carefully, lighting up a tiny bit. Paul's gun made an even worse racket, and the third creature dropped.

But the first was still very much alive, though hindered by one useless leg. It turned like lightning and swiped the wolf-construct through the air. The wolf didn't get up, and Paul dismissed it. As the monster turned its attention back to them, Lukas threw the gun at Paul, saying: 'Use magic to improve your aim, I'm going to try something.'

The creature was limping, but this one was quick, and it had claws to swipe with. There was no time for Paul to aim and shoot, it closed on him fast, going for his throat. Then it just dropped, stone-dead.

'I boiled its blood,' Lukas said, 'apparently that is deadly.'

'But it is impervious to magic,' they exclaimed together.

This caused Lukas to grin widely, and he said: 'Oh, I guess I didn't know that.'

Still laughing, they turned around to check on Lukas' family.

Aphrodite was having it out with her rival, whilst Zeus and Hermes were slaying countless monsters, casually using magic, as Lukas had, but a lot less effectively, scoring hits instead of instant kills.

'Better go and help them, Lukas,' Paul said, 'they're not healers, they're not as adept at killing.'

Lukas nodded, but first he asked: 'Paul, will you keep that gun aimed at Ishtar? Magically? And if there is even the slightest sign she is going to hurt Aphrodite, shoot the bitch. I want her liver on a plate, for what she did to all of us.'

And off he was, monsters dropping in his wake, apparently boiling their blood was the best way to kill these critters.

Melissa kept an eye out for more creatures at their back, as Paul concentrated on his target as single-mindedly as no-one else could, used to engraving for hours, or carving tiny figurines from wax.

Aphrodite was winning, as far as Paul could tell, her shields were still perfect, whilst her adversary's were fraying at the edges. He remembered beating a black mage in a duel, then getting shot in the back. He would not hesitate for a single breath to shoot this goddess in the back, she might be the goddess of love in her own country, she had wreaked havoc in this one, and she would not get away with it.

He did doubt he could kill an immortal with a gun, but given the chance he would certainly try.

By now, all the monsters lay dead, and three generations of gods approached the barbarian goddess once again.

Losing the battle, and knowing she would not escape, the goddess became desperate, gathering power inside herself, probably draining her measly following totally in the process. What was she doing? Paul was reminded of a boiler overheating, so much pressure inside one person, be it a goddess.

He uttered a sound of unbelief, and Melissa looked at what he saw, used her sight, and cried: 'Shoot her, she's going to blow herself up and take all of them with her.'

Paul didn't hesitate, he took a heartbeat to focus his spell and pulled the trigger.

The blast ripped through the clearing, and Ishtar fell, the power in her dissipating into the soil below her.

Lukas was the first to reach her, and declared her severely wounded, but not dead just yet. Glad that she was not obliged to decide her fate, Melissa walked towards them, followed by Paul.

Aphrodite bound the barbarian goddess magically, and put a block on her magic.

'Why did you shoot her?' she asked.

Paul replied: 'She was gathering power and looked like a boiler on the verge of blowing. Melissa agreed she was going to blow herself up in your faces, taking you with her in death. If she can die. If you can die.

Anyhow, I had my instructions.' This last, nudging in Lukas' direction.

'Oh, she can die, and she still may. Thank you for getting her alive, though, I can't wait to ask her some pertinent questions. She's insulted my good friend Poseidon by using magic in his realm, which will make him eager to help us get the truth out of her.

But not yet. First we will celebrate our victory, and take leave in a fitting way, for we have become good friends, and you will be sorely missed.'

As the barbarian goddess had been bound, and danger was averted, Melissa saw Hermes coming towards her, and he embraced her tightly and rested his head on hers one more time. He said proudly: 'I knew you'd find me, Lykos opposed my giving you that link, but it has saved lives more than once. I'll be sorry to remove it before you leave.'

'And I'll be sorry to leave you, Hermes, link and all. It has taken some time, but I have finally come to love you really well, and I'm glad we are leaving you a lot safer, and a lot happier.'

He was delighted to hear her speak her love for him, and they stood together for some time. Then Melissa wanted to go back to her men, especially Lukas, who had heard some nasty truths today, and must be smarting inside.

He was standing alone, a bit lost, glad it was over, but still burdened with what he had learned. Then he beheld his beloved, she had come for him especially, feeling for him, wanting to be with him. He wrapped her in his arms and inhaled her lovely scent, feeling better instantly.

He whispered: 'When we get back, it will be really cold, won't it?'

She nodded a bit concernedly and said: 'You will not believe how cold, it is so much hotter here than in our hottest summer, it will be a shock even to us, and we're used to cold.'

Trying to hold her even closer, he whispered again: 'Good, it will be so good to lie in a warm, soft, bed together, and just touch you, and smell you, and make love to you. I can't wait.'

There she was, crying again, so intensely glad Lukas was coming home with them, and finding him looking forward to getting home. She kissed him, and then they found themselves wrapped in Paul's embrace as well. Together, safe, and tomorrow, home.

Aphrodite and Zeus had already teleported themselves back to Olympus with their prisoner. She would be kept well away from Dionysus, who was in a way one of her victims, though he would not escape punishment.

If Ishtar survived her judgement, she would at the very least lose her powers. Dionysus had broken an important rule that existed to keep the gods from ruining whole peoples and stretches of their world, whilst fighting out their petty quarrels. Zeus knew his children needed rules to keep their unlimited powers in check.

But Ishtar had broken an even larger taboo, trying to steal worshippers from a totally different culture, and not openly, but by weaving involved plots that had hurt mortals and immortals alike. She would pay, and not even her own family would try to save her.

Hermes stayed back to take his son and his friends wherever they wanted to spend their last evening and night. He hoped he would be part of that last evening, and that it would be filled with joy and not with unpleasant memories.

When they broke up their embrace, Hermes asked where they wanted to go for the night, and Lukas looked at his friends and said: 'I feel I need to speak to Dionysus one last time. I used to love him very much, and though he was part of a plot to destroy my family, I still feel sorry for him, for what he became.

But I want both of you present, can you do that for me? And father, will you come too? And maybe we can go to Ophelie's place afterwards, for did I hear there was trouble there too? Is everyone all right?'

Hermes did not particularly want to go to Olympus, not only had he seen enough of Dionysus for a long time, he didn't want Melissa around his father too long either. The old man was known for his lust for young women, and Hermes didn't trust him at all to keep his hands off her.

His expression must have revealed his doubt, for Lykos asked: 'What is the problem, father? Do you mistrust grandfather with Melissa? He has assured me he will respect her, if we will please spend an hour drinking a glass of wine with him.'

Hermes shrugged, and took all of them to Olympus. They were met by Zeus and Aphrodite, who brought them back to the cell, where Dionysus seemed truly glad to see Hermes alive and well. He asked: 'Did you get her?'

Hermes nodded, and said: 'Paul here shot her, she lives and will answer for her misdeeds. We will get the truth out of her first, and then we'll probably have to kill her. That will be a task, will you help, father?'

Zeus replied: 'I will do that with my spouse, neither of you will have to concern yourself over that nasty business. You may bear witness if you want to, even you, Dionysus. She cost you more than anyone besides your niece.'

The mention of his niece caused Dionysus serious distress: 'What did you do to her? Is she..gone? She couldn't help herself, she was a victim more than anyone, and I didn't even know until you told me, Master Zeus.'

Aphrodite replied: 'We burned her out, Dionysus, but now we know the truth I'm hoping Lykos and I can salvage some of her sanity. If not, we will try to make her comfortable for the rest of her days. I'm sorry, we only saw her misdeed and the rage in her mind, not the cause.'

Dionysus was stricken, and it was clear there were too many in that cell, so the gods left Lykos and his friends alone with him.

Paul and Melissa sat on the floor of the cell, and Lukas sat next to the god who had taken so much away from him, but had inadvertently given him so much more.

It was clear Dionysus still didn't want to look Lukas in the eye, but Lukas took hold of his chin and forced his head up.

'Look at me, old friend!'

There was no reproach in those words, just an incredible power, and Dionysus could not but obey. As he truly looked at his young favourite, he saw the artist had been right, Lykos did still love him, and even forgave him. Dionysus also saw that Lykos was different somehow, less haunted, quieter. His rise to godhood?

'I found love and happiness, old friend, that is what is different.'

The look in his eyes as he said that just killed Dionysus, and he fell on his face and pleaded to be forgiven for everything, but without the pathos, which made the scene truly heart-rending.

And Lukas made it worse, by taking Dionysus in his arms, and holding him tightly, crying freely, for their lost friendship, and for what would happen to the jolly god. Would he ever see Hailee again? Would they burn him out, take his manhood, kill him outright?

'I forgive you, old friend, but you know you deserve punishment. Will you take what is coming with dignity, will you accept responsibility for what you have done? I will see what can still be done for your niece, and then I am going back to the world where your plot landed me, straight into love and happiness. We will never meet again, old friend, so farewell.'

Lukas kissed Dionysus' soft cheeks, squeezed him against his own slight body, then got up and left. Paul and Melissa followed in silence, there was nothing for them to say. A guard closed the door behind them and slid a few locks in place.

Lukas led them back to that comfortable room, where they met up with the other three.

'Can we go to Rhoda straight away? I feel awful, I watched you burn her out with satisfaction, and here she had been through abject terror every night, for months, right under my father's house, and no-one ever noticed. I want this over with, this day has been one big exercise in shock for me.'

Before either Melissa or Paul could do something, Lukas was in the arms of his grandfather, who had swept him up, and said: 'No, you cannot do it now. You have borne more than your share of misery, I will take care of this mortal girl, I give you my word she will have every chance of recovery she can have.

You will go wherever you are staying tonight and be together with your loved ones, free of fear and free of care. And I will see to this girl with Hera, at our own villa. If there is anything to salvage, my spouse will find it. If not, there are ways to make up for a miserable life, I have connections everywhere, even in Hell.

Aphrodite, you take your nephew and his friends, Hermes will go by his palace and hand the girl over to me. Stop worrying, she will be released.'

Soon, they were back at the big house, where the monster had been killed by Galan, with the help of Damara. They had both suffered a few hits, but not as many as they would have had the monster been constructed for attack, with horns or claws.

Lukas was still a bit quiet, this had been a very tough day for him, and Melissa sat down on a sofa in a quiet corner with his curly head in her lap, and she scratched his horn-bases really softly, to let him know he was loved, and to give him a chance to relax.

Realizing this would be hard on Aphrodite, who must be hoping to spend this last night together, Melissa nonetheless did what she thought she had to do, no-one could comfort Lukas as well as she could, the familiarity of her touch would have him back to a semblance of good humour the quickest.

'You are so good to me, Melissa,' Lukas mumbled, giving himself up to her ministrations totally, then added: 'I'm so glad we will be together again, I've missed both of you the last few days. I feel bad for my aunt, she will miss all of us, she doesn't love her husband you know, she was practically forced to marry him.

Give me five more minutes with you, and I'll detach myself from my old friend Dionysus, and from the girl we all wronged, and then we'll make this night one Aphrodite will remember for a long time to come. She deserves that much for treating us all so well.'

Of course Melissa knew the jolly god had done countless bad things, and she suspected this was not the first time he had broken laws, but somehow she felt very sorry for him. Still, she was not going to tell Lukas that, for he'd feel bad all over again. There was nothing they could do for Dionysus, he had brought this on himself.

Galan was describing how he had skewered the creature right through the second heart, and Melissa was amazed with the change in him. He had been so quiet, almost invisible, and now he was very pleased to tell Paul all about how those steel swords had even sheared through bone.

Then he wondered how they would remove the body, it was huge, and in the Mediterranean heat it would spoil quickly. Melissa thought they might tug it off the terrace and then burn it, the feathered wings would probably burn reasonably well.

In her arms, Lukas was slowly coming back to himself, and after five more minutes he did indeed sit up, shake his head, kiss her, and then he asked for a glass of wine and joined the conversation. Melissa knew he had just put his grief away for later, but that was no problem, they'd have plenty of time for that as they got used to the cold in England, she suspected they would spend the first days catching up on sleep anyway.

In the heat of things, they had missed lunch, so Ophelie arranged for some snacks to be served, and they all ate heartily. Lukas moved to sit with Aphrodite, and he was succeeding very well in keeping her happy and entertained.

Paul joined Melissa and they were silent mostly, they just didn't have much to say, so much had happened, but none of it was a suitable subject for conversation just now. So they held hands and listened to the others, trying to fix them in their minds for later reminiscence. There was a lot of love in this household, and Melissa hoped for both couples that it would soon be enlarged with a few children.

As they sat comfortably, finally able to relax now everything was really over, glad somehow that they had stayed to the end, knowing Lukas' family would be safe now, Hermes came in, and he was not alone.

He had brought his father, and Zeus greeted everyone with a hug and a kind word, even Kadmus, Damara and Galan.

He sat himself with Lukas and Aphrodite, and as he spoke to them, the relief in their faces showed that he had good news on Rhoda. They would have to wait to hear how much Hera had been able to salvage, but for now Melissa was just pleased Lukas had one thing less to worry about.

After that little chat the wise old god joined the two of them, and said: 'I've just told Lukas that my wife has managed to find Rhoda back amongst the ruins of her mind, and she has been able to fade her bad memories a lot, taking away much of her hatred against everyone.

She will not get her magic back, but my wife likes little projects like these, and will undoubtedly treat her again until she has a chance of happiness, then set her up with some deserving bloke to get married or something.

Lukas and Aphrodite had no way of knowing what had been done to her, her hatred had drowned out all those memories, I just knew the truth somehow, as soon as I saw Ishtar, that happens to me often.'

The god now wanted to know all about England, about the way magic worked there, how Paul had learned how to make a construct, whether it was true there were only humans left, how Paul could make a necklace of dolphins that really seemed to move.

'Horses too, I see,' looking at Melissa's necklace.

Melissa got her turn as well, did she realize no-one could see into things like she did? And could she really build a house out of glass?

After talking for nearly an hour, Melissa decided it was time she asked a question and she asked: 'Master Zeus, why is it that you call Lukas by his chosen name, and not by his given name?'

The god looked wiser than ever, stroked his beard, then said: 'He asked me to call him Lukas, so that is what I called him. It seemed the polite thing to do.'

That had them laughing, Melissa had imagined a meaning to his use of Lukas' chosen name, gotten from some unfathomable source, but it had been simple courtesy. Could it be that the world was a lot simpler than she thought it was, even if it was ruled by real, live gods?

He looked at her intensely, and again she thought he must see something deep in her, but then he said: 'You are the most beautiful woman I have seen in ages, so different from my own people, the wealth of your body and your extraordinary colouring, and your intelligence enhancing it. I have heard that young Lukas always had a good taste in women, though he didn't use to follow them back to an alien world.

And I can see you have made an impression on my son as well, he has learned a lot on your world.'

He seemed just another man, as he sat back, sipped his wine, and said: 'You will all be missed when you leave, but I for one am kind of happy as well, you know too much, and you are too independent to live under the rule of fallible gods and goddesses.

They are attracted to you like moths to a bright flame, not realizing you don't acknowledge their right to rule you. No, you are better off on your own world, and since you released Lukas' Gift, you have the right to its providence to better the lot of your people.

I know you will take great care of him, and protect him from his own goodness, more than any of us ever did. You will make him happy, as he will make you happy.'

With a very mild expression he asked Melissa: 'May I touch you just for a moment? Just hold your hand very briefly?'

Seeing no reason not to let him have it, she gave him her hand. He did not blank out, but he fixed her in a steady gaze for a few seconds, then he smiled broadly, showing a clear family-resemblance, released her hand and repeated: 'Yes, you will make him very happy, both of you.'

Then he looked at Paul and asked: 'Will you go back first thing in the morning? Hermes and I were contemplating to move the portal to the basement of the villa, instead of having it in that nasty demon world. We were planning to check it out together, see if it can be made safer to travel between worlds, for Hermes is planning to spend some time in your world every year, to see his son's family, and his friends and get some rest.

And I think my daughter wants to come too. Can't have her chasing demons, it would cause a diplomatic disaster. I'd have to visit there, have you any idea of the things those unholy fellows serve at a formal dinner? Spare me!

So, if you have the patience to stay for lunch, you might go straight through the portal from the villa, that is what I wanted to say.

And now, if you will excuse me, I will spend some time with my daughter-in-law, who looks ravishing in the traditional way. She's not the kind to share either, is she? I was planning to stay the night, but not alone.'

Paul said cheekily: 'Why not try Damara, she loves to share. Feisty, though.'

The old man belied his wizened appearance with a lusty grin, and set off for the group of people that happened to include both his daughter-in-law and her eager friend. Paul had seen Damara checking him out several times that night, and though they would be staying in the villa, he thought it might be safest if she was occupied with someone else, and she might appreciate a really skilled and powerful lover for a night.

'Master Zeus!' Paul called after him. The god turned around and took a few steps back towards them. When he was rather close again, Paul added in a low voice: 'She likes to have the bases of her horns scratched.'

That broad grin again, it really was a family-trait, though Lukas' was the cutest because of his dented lip.

Melissa nudged him and said: 'Paul, she's his granddaughter!'

That did startle him for a moment, but he recovered: 'I forgot, but they won't care. Hermes made love to his own sister. They draw the line at their parents, though. Damara wanted Lukas so much but couldn't have him, why not have the ultimate catch? Hera will never know.'

He was right, in a way, and Zeus seemed nice enough.

Enjoying the quiet, warm afternoon, they sat together until dinner, and during dinner they discussed how the portal might be moved. Hermes and Zeus had a theory on how worlds touched one another, and wanted Melissa and Paul to test it against their more modern knowledge of physics. Melissa had the time of her life, trying to rhyme the laws of physics she had learned with the fact that alternate worlds and dimensions clearly did exist.

Paul's knowledge of magic was useful too, though he would have loved to have Tristan and George here, who were the real experts on the subject of other dimensions. Maybe even Jakob, somehow Paul guessed those three men would prove as powerful as the three older gods in their own right. He pictured Tristan discussing the finer points of high magick with Zeus, still unable to see the ancient god as some higher being.

To him, the Greek gods were just very talented mages, with unlimited power. Zeus was right, it was best they leave, they were a distinct danger to the established order.

They spent their last evening pleasantly, drinking wine, chatting and laughing, but they did not stay up very late. Damara had led Zeus away to her room rather eagerly, she certainly had an interesting night ahead of her.

Hermes stayed with Ophelie, and Galan and Katarina went home, with the teleport circle in their basement they were a few seconds away from their own bed.

Back at the villa, Aphrodite clearly wanted Lukas to stay with her very much, for one last night. What could he do but indulge her, from tomorrow on he would sleep with his loved ones again. He hugged both of them tightly, Melissa whispering: 'If you need me, don't hesitate to come and find me, love.' She was so sweet, he could kiss her, and he did.

Then they parted reluctantly, and found their own beds.

The next morning, Melissa found herself alone in bed, which was totally unheard of. She looked for Paul's mind, the fastest way of finding him, and was greeted enthusiastically by her beloved, who had awoken early and gone for a swim, hoping to see the dolphins one last time.

Lukas was there as well, always an early riser, and Melissa decided to join them as well. She walked towards the cliff without bothering to dress, and found the guys in the middle of a water-battle with the four dolphins. They were losing of course.

After playing in the water for half an hour they had breakfast on the terrace, and Aphrodite joined them there. She didn't eat much, she was not looking forward to the coming parting.

'If you visit, I will teach you to ride a bicycle,' Melissa promised her, to cheer her up. Managing a smile, the goddess observed: 'That is the thing with just two wheels, isn't it? I'd love to try one, and see your city.

I think we will drop by, to let Lykos know about Dionysus, what punishment is delivered to him. And to see how you are doing.'

Well, Melissa expected they'd do just fine, did Aphrodite expect Lukas to be sorry for going back? He might be, once he found out how cold and wet winter was, and how much worse the city's poor were off in that harsh time of the year.

Having finished their packing, they left their packs at the villa and teleported to the big house to say their final goodbyes.

Galan wanted Paul to take one of the swords, but Paul told him to keep the one and give the other to Damara, they knew how to use them, he'd make another one for himself. He did take one of the knives, in memory of Galan and his lovely smithy.

Of course Lukas and Katarina shed a lot of tears saying goodbye, but they were tears of joy as well, to leave the other happy and safe. Melissa thought Katarina looked radiant, and there was something different about her, her mottles were much more defined, and her cheeks a little more rounded. She could be with child, but it had been only days since she had first shared her love and had been touched by Aphrodite.

And she must have been rather depressed, not able to be herself and convinced her beloved father was dead in a ditch somewhere. Getting a little sun on her mottled skin, and enjoying wine and food would make her gain weight.

It was just too early to say, and Melissa found herself hoping there would be some traffic along the portal, to keep up with the news.

Damara had clearly enjoyed herself hugely the last night, she practically glowed, and she said goodbye to her father and to Paul without regrets they were leaving.

Hermes and Zeus were indeed absent, and having said their goodbyes the visitors went back to the villa for lunch. Once there, Paul and Melissa busied themselves laying the table with whatever food was available in the kitchen, whilst Lukas sat on the terrace holding his aunt, giving her what love he could, knowing she would have a few days of disappointment to see them go.

He did not think she would be inconsolable, gods just didn't feel that strongly. She'd get over him quickly, and find some other guy willing to please her. Of course she'd miss their company as well, Paul and Melissa were very smart and interesting to talk to. Only Dionysus had any chance of even getting close to Lukas' skills in making love, and he was certain Aphrodite would not turn to him. Poor old friend, he was certainly in for it. No love for him for a long, long time.

But that couldn't be helped, by now he was looking forward very much to being home once more, building back his muscle, sharing love with George, improving life for as many people as he could. A nice dance, though probably indoors by now. Too bad, though he wasn't interested in what went on in the bushes anyhow.

It would be good to be home again.

He kissed his aunt tenderly, stroking her perfect body, feeling her tense. 'Do you want to share love one last time?' he asked her. But she was not tensing in heat, she had her face buried in his chest, and was crying quietly.

That was something he didn't expect. But it couldn't be helped, he could not live without his loved ones, and they needed him, London needed him. Depending on how much power he would have left once back in England, he would not rest at healing a few individuals, he would spend part of each day going out, trying to make a difference.

Pulling his attention back into the here and now, he tried to console his divine lover, he kissed her gently, and stroked her perfect skin and lovely hair. She was so beautiful, and had been such a gentle and skilled lover.

'Will you remember me, Lykos?' Aphrodite asked him.

'Of course I will, beloved,' he answered, 'but you will visit, won't you? Soon? You'll love going to a dance, and you can help me in my practice. I'm planning to set up a healing practice, besides my work in the forge.'

'I'll be there when you get your greatest wish, dear Lykos, be sure of that. And until then I'll savour my memories. I'm very glad to have come to know you, you and Paul are the most deserving men I've ever known.

Excepting maybe one, whom I have reproached that he forced me to marry him, to prove he could get the most beautiful woman in the world despite being crippled. But maybe I gave him little chance to prove his love for me, maybe he didn't just marry me out of spite.

I think that when you are gone back, I will pay a visit to my husband, see how he is doing. I always kind of liked the smell of smoke and sweat on a man, and despite being crippled, he is not uncomely.'

'You do that trick on him, beloved, and he is your slave forever,' Lukas observed, 'all the smiths I know are hard-working, honest men, so maybe you will get to like him after all.

Will you promise me one thing, love?'

'I will promise you anything, dear Lykos,' Aphrodite breathed in his ear.

'Will you see to it that my old friend is not killed or maimed too badly?'

'Except that, my love, I'm sorry,' she replied, 'he broke our most sacred law in the most atrocious way, you suffered so much yourself from his unthinking, selfish misdeeds. How can you plead for him?'

'He cannot help being selfish, can he? He was born that way, made even worse by his divine powers and privileges. Had he suffered in his youth, he would have been a better person, like my father suffered when he ended up powerless and penniless on our world. Maybe you can make sure he is punished in a way that may improve him, instead of killing or maiming him? Please? I told him I didn't love him anymore, but I do. He wasn't wicked, just weak.'

'How can you know that, Lykos, how can you be sure that he is not playing a game even now, betting he will fool all of us into mercy and letting him off the hook. He needs to pay for what he has done!'

Aphrodite clearly thought Lukas was way too lenient on the man who had tried to sell him into slavery to a cruel, debased goddess, who in her turn tried to replace Aphrodite herself in the Greek pantheon.

Seeing his beloved face as he pleaded for the life of his former friend, who had indeed been a jolly companion to the other gods most of the time, despite his tendency to get bored and play pranks on everyone around him, Aphrodite felt herself soften, and she kissed him on his irresistible mouth and promised: 'I will see what I can do, it is not my decision, and I still think he deserves a severe punishment. But maybe it can be chosen to teach him as well as extract retribution for his crimes. But only because I love you so much, my own inclination is to just have him burned out or killed. Or castrated.'

Just then, Hermes and his father walked on to the terrace, probably from the cellar. They all sat down for lunch, and the two gods were proud to tell them they had met with success.

'The portal is now hidden in the cellar of this villa, we got it removed from the demon world quite easily, but it was difficult to teleport with it, we had to graft it onto something tangible first. Remembering the paper-maché mirror? We used a large wooden shield, and it worked!

I tried it to make sure it exited in the right place, and it did. I stuck my head in and found myself in your basement, I suppose they took the mirror there to make sure you would return to a place you knew.

But be careful when you go through, it is very, very cold. Like the top of Olympus.'

Then Zeus took his leave, saying: 'You will want to be together to take leave, don't weep overmuch, you will meet again, be it here, or in your cold land. Farewell!'

And he embraced all three of them, then walked towards the main part of the villa, clearly in an excellent humour.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

They took their backpacks to the cellar, and then the time had come to say goodbye to the people that would miss them most, and that they had come to love themselves.

Hermes embraced Paul, lighting up a little as he touched the latter, dismissing the link to his power. 'I'm glad we got to know one another better, Paul, I'll miss your solid presence in my life. But I'm glad my son will have your love and your support. Once I've implemented your ideas I will visit, say in a few months.'

Aphrodite hugged Melissa, not saying much, just holding her tightly. 'Take good care of our beloved, Melissa, he loves you so much.' She replied: 'I will, Aphrodite, I love him as much, and I will always be there for him.'

'Lykos, I am so grateful you found it in you to help your daughter and me,' Hermes said to his son, 'I don't want to think what would have happened without you. I love you, my boy, and that is why I want you to go where you belong, with your beloved friends. We will meet again, expect to see me in a few months. Will you keep the portal in your basement? I promise I will protect it well from my side.

See you soon, my son!'

And he kissed Lukas and held him for a few more moments.

Then he fell into Melissa's arms and clung to her, as if parting with her pained him more than anything. Melissa ignored his pathos and kissed him heartily, though not chastely. She said soothingly: 'We'll meet again soon enough, Hermes, don't upset yourself. You take good care of your realm and your lovely wife and granddaughter, and please give my love to Ophius.'

She hugged him tightly one more time, then gave him a few moments to lift his link off her, which he did with obvious reluctance.

Paul had said an intimate goodbye to Aphrodite, and was now ready to leave, looking around to find the new portal.

And as Aphrodite kissed Lukas and tried to let go of him, Hermes walked towards the farthest wall and touched it. A sizeable wooden shield became visible, round, with a gaping hole in the middle. The portal.

He lifted it off the wall, and said: 'It may be best if you take some warmer clothes out of your backpack, Lykos, for you have never felt cold like that before. It is safe, though, the basement was empty this morning.'

Lukas took his advice and pulled a pair of pants and a woollen tunic and shirt out of the backpack, which he both put on, one over the other. He was smothering, that much was clear.

Paul and Melissa decided to put on some extra layers as well, and then the moment of departure had come.

'Shall I go first once again?' Lukas asked, and the others nodded.

He stuck his head in fearlessly, and within moments he was totally gone from view. Paul pushed his backpack through, and then helped Melissa into the portal. Then he pushed the other two backpacks in, feeling them being pulled through from the other side.

He called out: 'Be well, see you soon!' then stuck his head in and looked around.

It was indeed his own cellar, and Melissa was already helping him slide down the portal. It had been put against the wall to allow an easy exit, and he was soon standing, feeling the cold, but not as badly as he had expected..

One look at Lukas convinced him he'd better fire up the boiler immediately, for the poor guy was stunned by the cold, teeth chattering, despite double wooden layers. Melissa was not impressed, an extra layer of wool was apparently enough to keep her warm in English fall temperatures, even after Greek summer.

Better to fire up the boiler anyway, to get rid of the dampness, and keep Lukas in London. It would probably be best if Lukas went somewhere warm, so he advised: ''Lukas, you better run for the bed, I'm going to fire up the boiler first and then renew the spells on it. You don't seem all that cold, Melissa?'

She replied: 'I seem to handle cold much better than heat, I'm fine. Lukas, you do as Paul says, I'll stay with him to help. We'll be with you before you know it. We'll get you used to the cold gradually.'

Lukas ran up the stairs, as Paul opened the chute and loaded the boiler with coal. He got it burning merrily with profuse use of magic, then put the usual spell on the boiler itself, keeping the heat inside it, venting excess heat to the workshop, but only if the pressure mounted dangerously high.

He left the kitchen boiler and the piping unspelled, so they would heat the house quickly. Tomorrow he would adjust the spells to suit the weather more exactly, but now they wanted Lukas to stay warm and get used to the cold gradually.

Time must really flow faster here, for how could it be so cold already if it was the beginning of September? They had left halfway through August, and the weather had been balmy. It must have changed suddenly, though it probably seemed much colder than it actually was because they had been in such a hot climate.

But Paul's handiwork did its job really well, and pretty fast, and soon he dared leave it to its own devices. He put in an extra shovel of coal, put the portal away in the cupboard, then kissed his wife in the little cellar where he had proposed to her.

'I'm glad to be back,' she said, shivering a little in remembrance of the danger he had been in on what was supposed to have been a holiday. Knowing what they did now, they would never have seen it as one, but at least they had had some nice sunny days of beach and fun at the end. Besides, it was safe now, if Lukas got sick of the cold they could always take few weeks off again.

'Let's hit the bed,' Paul said, 'I want to feel both of you against me.

She gave him her hand, and they went upstairs, crossed the living-room, up one more stairs, then undressed and joined Lukas in their lovely, huge, warm bed.

Poor Lukas was still chattering, so they flanked him and covered him with their own bodies. Melissa was very warm, and against her soft flesh Lukas finally started to feel warm again. He whispered: 'How could the weather change so much in two weeks?'

Paul replied: 'I suspect time moves differently here, Lukas, we will soon find out how many days have passed. I hope we haven't missed your birthday, Melissa, coming of age is not something to let pass by unnoticed.'

'If we did, don't worry love, I'm just glad we are all fine. We can celebrate after the fact. Lukas, I think it is also the difference between Greece and here that makes you feel the cold. It is not that much colder than it was when we left. The house is just moist, it has probably rained a lot, and you are used to intense heat. You'll feel better in a few days.

And you may always warm yourself against me, I'm so glad to have you with us again, I've missed you.'

It was getting quite warm under the duvet, and very cosy. Lukas felt his body relax, and he realized it had been days since he felt this comfortable and safe. He was not sorry at all to have left Aphrodite behind, she had started to claim him way too much, she loved him so much more than he loved her.

'Can we just lie here, safe and warm, together again, forever?' Lukas didn't want this to end, he felt free, and eager to continue his life as a normal man.

'You can,' Paul replied, 'but I'm looking forward to doing things, starting on the greenhouses, taking new commissions, prototyping my new inventions, and I promised Melissa a necklace with frisky horses. Gold or copper, love?'

'Copper, definitely Or I'd keep wearing the older one, I love copper most of all.'

Paul wanted to lie next to her, to feel her body against his, and he lifted Lukas on top of both of them, so they could all touch.

'May I check you with sight, Lukas?' Melissa asked, 'I wonder if you're still a god.'

Lukas didn't say anything for a few heartbeats, probably checking himself, then said: 'Sure, be my guest. I can't feel any difference myself, but there must be one, for I don't have any worshippers here. I wonder if I'll have any power left.'

How sight also worked in virtual darkness was a mystery to Melissa, but it did, so she stayed under the blankets to keep Lukas warm.

His power store was huge, larger than Paul's, and filled with personal power and a lot of love. He had some of the ley-line energy diffusing into him, and no red from worshippers. He was indeed still a god, but the power had changed as he changed worlds. Incredible! He would never lack power again, on neither world, but his use of magic would change each time. She dared predict that just willing things to happen wouldn't work here.

Melissa looked for a ley-line, and found one where it should be. She could touch it, use it. Paul would be happy to have unlimited power again.

Reminded of magic, Lukas insisted on checking them for the ill effects of the portal, and though he didn't see any difference in Paul's control, he did adjust it a tiny bit towards the Victorian side of the scale, not enough to make him older than his age, but enough to not join the girls in the bushes, so to speak.

He could not see any effect in Melissa either, she was her usual steady self, though her emotions seemed a little more pronounced. That was not the portal's doing, though, for she had been crying more than usual the last week, small wonder with everything that had happened to shake her feelings. She would soon return to her usual steady self.

It was not possible to check himself, but he did not feel any urge to jump Melissa though he was snuggled against her with not a stitch between them, so he guessed he was fine. If he found himself losing control, Paul could do it.

After the first shock of the cold had passed, and the boiler had heated the house reasonably well, they dressed warmly and first checked the whole house from top to bottom. Everything seemed fine, it was good to be back home, and Paul decided to wait with renewing the spells on the piping until the evening, giving the house some time to really warm up and to get rid of the moist atmosphere that three weeks of rain had given it.

They guessed it must be late in the afternoon, from the light and the traffic outside, and they decided to get some groceries and find out what the date was. Lukas hoped that the fur-trimmed parka that he had ordered made at his friends' advice would be finished already, but Paul said: 'It will become a lot colder yet than this, Lukas, better use your current coat with a woollen shirt and get used to the temperatures, or you'll be freezing all winter.'

Within an hour they had everything they needed, groceries and parka, and a few woollen jumpers that Lukas insisted on buying, despite Melissa's assurances that he was just feeling the difference between Greece and England, that he would adapt quickly. Still, if the winter got really cold he would need them, and he looked very cute in a jumper.

They also found out they had indeed missed Melissa's twenty-first birthday by a week, but Melissa didn't seem to care very much. 'We can have a party anyway, can't we? Have our friends over?'

Having bought a fresh batch of coffee they were looking forward to their first cup in weeks, and Paul set to work to brew it immediately after they got back. There were some chocolates to go with it, a treat they had also missed very much, and when everything was ready, they took their first sip almost reverently. Paul and Lukas sighed in total satisfaction, this totally made up for the cold outside.

But Melissa did not share their bliss, the coffee tasted awful, sour, and bitter, and she could not understand why the guys loved it so much. Paul must have done something horribly wrong in the brewing. Seeing her face they demanded an explanation, and when she told Paul he had botched the brewing, they denied that with energy. The coffee was just fine, she must have gotten used to the sweetness of fruit-juices and Ophius' bland tea-surrogate whilst in Greece.

Fortunately the chocolate did taste as it should, and she allowed herself an extra piece to make up for the coffee. It was good to be back!

They spent that day putting things in order, unpacking, arranging the laundry service, renewing the spells on the piping to fit the outside temperature, baking, and just being together. They had been in constant company, and they had missed their time alone very much.

Paul was already making plans for work, he suggested they work in the mornings and socialise in the afternoons for a week or so, until they were up to date with all their family and friends, then go back to their old habits the second week.

It was so good to see their friends again. Jonathan was fine, he felt like one of the family at the Nomes'. Marcus and himself were the best of friends, he even liked playing with Bertha and Lucy, and he had learned how to ride and shoot, and fence.

George and Tristan had seen to his studies, and George had hosted a meeting with Jakob's circle, in which they had all gotten one of those shields that prevented prying eyes from seeing their talent. Jonathan knew now that practising magic was all he wanted from life, and he asked to be allowed to stay with the family.

Frances and George had offered Jonathan a permanent home, seeing how well he fit into their family, and realizing that living with a newly married couple might make him feel left out, especially since they were such a close-knit little group with Lukas added, and their mutual business of crafting kept them occupied at least half the day.

With no interest in metal-work at all, Jonathan would be better off living with a family with adult children, who were all practising magic in one way or the other.

Though a little bit disappointed, Melissa understood immediately that Frances and George were right, it was better for a young man to live with other young people with the same interests. If Jonathan had been a crafter it would have been different, but as it was, there was more for Jonathan at the manor, he could practice in private, noise and the occasional flash of magic were no problem on the large estate.

And if he had questions or problems, there was always someone around to help him, George, or Frances or one of the children, and usually Tristan as well. Jonathan showed a distinct preference for the powerful, highly ritual Magick that Tristan practised, though he had an aptitude for nearly every kind of magic, even witchcraft.

Tristan was always at the manor if he didn't have his duties to fulfil, he loved being with the family and of course with Ilsa.

Ilsa had accepted their relationship as more or less permanent, happy to have found a really good man even though she was not exactly looking for a lasting bond already. There was even talk of a marriage, which surprised Melissa tremendously, for Ilsa had seemed really averse to the idea of being bound to someone.

But it was a really good match for both of them, and she was certain they would both have every chance of being happy together.

Melissa learned the entire truth of the matter on her own birthday party, given a week after their return from Greece. Ilsa looked Melissa up and sat beside her on the sofa, talking about their adventures in Greece first, and then telling her: 'I'm marrying Tristan because I'm with child, Melissa. I love him, and he loves me, but I would have happily stayed free if this hadn't happened.'

Melissa dared to congratulate her, and in fact Ilsa did not seem unhappy about the whole thing. She said: 'Actually I'm quite happy he wants to marry me, he is such a generous man, and I always feel very safe with him. I can't even remember the time I was so very unhappy, Tristan has made me forget all of it. And now we'll have a child of our own.'

Thinking of her own fears, Melissa asked: 'Aren't you afraid you'll be stuck at home alone with a baby?'

Laughing merrily, Ilsa replied: 'I most certainly am not, running the wool factory is quite a task and father needs me to help. I guess we'll move to Tristan's house after our marriage, but I'm not burying myself there, I'll take the baby along, or beg mother to care for it a few days every week. She's very pleased to get a grandchild.'

Melissa could well imagine that, Frances was all caring and goodness, and the manor was such a fabulous place for a child to grow up.

'I am very certain that Tristan will be an excellent father, he spends a lot of time working, but all his free time is for me, and that will not change.' It was clear that Ilsa was not at all afraid to have a child, she sounded almost eager.

'To be honest, Melissa, I was hoping we'd be with child together, you and me. It would be such fun to have our children the same age, they would grow up almost like brothers and sisters, like Paul with the three of us. He really is like a brother to me now.'

Though glad that Ilsa was happy with her situation, Melissa did wonder whether something was wrong with herself not to want it, but she decided not to bother Ilsa with her doubts. She'd talk to her mother, or to Lukas.

So she asked Ilsa whether she felt all right, and had some common discomforts of being pregnant described to her. Having to go to the privy more often, her breasts being a bit sensitive, crying more often than usual. Nothing really bad, and Ilsa did not seem emotionally unstable either, if anything, she seemed happier than Melissa had ever seen her.

But of course she had plenty of reasons to be happy: the wool-factory was doing well under their administration, the pollution had been stopped, and the children were no longer allowed to work there, they didn't need to, for the wages of their parents were sufficient to support the whole family. George had started a school on the property that they were supposed to attend.

The smaller children would be minded by some grandparents from the neighbourhood, that is how Melissa had grown up and she had had a good childhood, going to a school funded by the owner of the factory, and having her spare time supervised by her grandparents.

Melissa described her own youth, and Ilsa was happy to hear it could be done, and that such a way of raising children could result in such stable adults.

Then Melissa told Ilsa of Katarina's woollen products, the softness and the quality, and the process enhanced with magic. 'Couldn't you use that technique in secret? Strengthen the woollen strands before they are used, then taking the spell off before the cloth is sold?'

Ilsa was interested: 'We always need to stay one step ahead of the competition, and since we pay good wages and pay for the childrens' schooling instead of making them work, our prices are a bit higher. Extra quality would help us to sell despite a higher price.'

Melissa could see her mind working, no sign of getting dumb in Ilsa, and soon she shook her head and looked at her friend once more.

'Thank you so much for the idea, Melissa,' Ilsa said, 'I'll discuss it with father, and we can try to implement it. Do you have an example of Katarina's work? To think she is really Lukas' daughter, he looks so young. And you tell me she is an equal rights activist? In a land ruled directly by powerful gods, she must have a strong character.'

That was certainly true, Hermes would have a strong ally in his granddaughter, for the people really respected her.

Ilsa mused: 'You know father and me, and Tristan, we talk a lot about improving the lives of the people around us. Your father wants to help, too, we've met him when you were away. I have real hopes we may all make a difference. But I do want to enjoy my own life, not just worry about others. Do you think that is selfish?'

Thinking of their own plans and ideals, Melissa replied: 'No Ilsa, I think you are doing a wonderful job already. It may seem little, like helping the rejected children from the factory, there were only twenty, and there are thousands of poor children in the city, but you helped save those twenty from a terrible fate, and that counts.

And now the workers and the children in the factory, you're helping those as well, and giving a good example to other factory owners. You are already doing so much, and if you feel bad all the time for those you cannot help, you'll not be able to do what you are doing now. You need to have fun and enjoy life as well.'

It was good to be talking to Ilsa like this, and Melissa asked: 'Can I get you a glass of wine, or something to eat? Lukas had a secret stash of olives hidden in his backpack, they're the real thing, much better than the ones one can get here.'

Ilsa looked a little disappointed, and replied: 'Somehow wine doesn't taste like it used to since I've gotten with child. Same with coffee, my mother's coffee is still very good, but other coffee is gross, sour and bitter at the same time. But I'd love to try the olives.'

It was quite a shock for Melissa to hear her own experience from the mouth of a pregnant woman. For Melissa had developed a real liking for wine, and the Greek wine, a lot sweeter than the stuff they got in England, had been nice, but since her return she had not been able to drink any wine at all, the first sip had been enough to put her off.

And even when she had brewed a pot of coffee herself, she had not found it potable, though the guys said it was fine, and she could still enjoy tea very much. And as Ilsa said, Frances' coffee was just fine, as aromatic and as delicious as ever.

Her first reaction was to panic, but she decided she would not, so she offered Ilsa tea, which was accepted with pleasure. Then Melissa managed to enjoy the rest of her birthday, though she did count the times she went to the privy. Not wanting to seem overly emotional, Melissa decided to keep her suspicions to herself, until she had more proof. She could always panic later.

The next two weeks, Melissa monitored herself as accurately as she had ever checked any building or construction. Her breasts did feel a bit sensitive, but they often did just before she got her period, and it was not yet time for that. Besides, with travelling through a portal, and the shock she had in Greece, she would not worry even if her period was late, it had been before.

She did not find herself going to the privy more often, but she did have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, and she often felt a little sleepy by day. But everybody knew people slept more in fall, when the light waned and the mornings were cold, and besides, she never drank coffee anymore, she often felt sleepy at times when the others drank coffee.

And her emotional spells had disappeared from the moment she had started to help Paul with his prototypes again, and had checked the calculations in Mr Jones' plans for the greenhouse frames from cover to back.

That last worthy had soon found out about their return, and new commissions for boilers, pumps and bicycles came rolling in. Also, requests for inspections, even more than before, and even from new contractors and architects, her reputation was flourishing.

With their working time pleasantly occupied, their services in high demand, the greenhouse project progressing steadily towards the actual realization of the plans, time flew by.

Their ample spare time was used to help Tristan with his project and attending his experimental Magick classes, Paul teaching Jonathan magic, dancing, cycling.

The roads were still acceptable, and new roads were built everywhere except in the worst neighbourhoods. Melissa never hesitated to use her bicycle now, even when she had an inspection on the other side of town. She knew she could stand up for herself under any circumstance, and she was very good at reading her little map of London. The bicycle gave her such freedom, she saw much of the city from its comfortable seat.

The prototypes of Paul's inventions were finished, and three of them did work, though one not good enough to be worth the effort of producing it. The fourth was a disaster, a waste of effort, which Melissa had predicted. But she didn't rub it in, and since it had not taken up a lot of Paul's time he wasn't put out very much.

Paul showed the two remaining inventions to Mr Jones, who was interested in trying to find commissions to produce them for customers. He became their most valued contact, he knew so many builders, contractors, architects and other potential clients, and he was always on the lookout for a market for Paul's inventions, and Melissa returned the favour by inspecting his materials for free.

Eager to implement his new way of turning iron into steel by magic, Paul asked Tristan to check the immediate neighbourhood for signs of magic-use whilst he experimented with it, and Tristan helped him to adjust the shields on the house to not only keep hostile magic out, but also to keep his own magic in.

After that, Paul made a few swords following Galan's design, beautiful and elegant with strong blades honed to a keen edge. They looked more like works of art than deadly weapons. But Paul soon discovered that Mr Jones could not help him find customers for swords, he would have to explore that market by himself.

With the new way of making steel from pig-iron, Lukas and Paul could produce bicycle parts so cheaply that they managed to make bicycles a lot more affordable, though they were still a luxury item. But Paul always insisted on making everything he crafted beautiful, never saving time by skimping on the finish of a product, so in a way everything he made was a luxury item.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

And so a month passed by, and Lukas started to actually wear his parka. So far he had indeed adapted to the rain and the cold, running each morning made him rather tough, though he was always very happy to snuggle up to Melissa or Paul at night, warming himself against them.

And though he did not quit his habit of starting the day with a run, he did not rise before dawn either, often lying awake in bed and watching the others sleep.

He had not regretted returning to London with Paul and Melissa for a single heartbeat, they all worked hard, and they lived very small lives, but his made him very happy, despite the intensifying cold. Paul kept the house warm with the clever, magic-enhanced boiler, and outside he was often running or cycling, not feeling the cold.

And clothes made a difference, he had a pair of solid boots now, though he still preferred his elegant shoes, his hoofs didn't feel the cold anyway, but his legs did get chilly if it rained a lot.

What he had not counted on in the London winter was that it got so dark, so early. Lukas really had to make an effort not to feel oppressed when it started to get dark already in the late afternoon. And he knew that before it got better, it would get worse.

Also, he had always seen people living in the streets, but in summer the desperation of that situation had not been totally clear to him, as long as it had been warm and dry, living outside had seemed much like camping out, rather romantic actually.

But no more, once the rains started and the temperatures dropped, the people living in the street became truly tragic. He even remembered living through a London winter without a true home, second hand memories from the minds of the rejected children he had healed, especially Jonathan, who had felt all of the responsibility of finding food, clothing and shelter for nine children besides himself. The true scope of that feat had not come home to Lukas until he realized how bad things got in winter.

The hopeless situation of the people on the street had depressed him for a few days, until Melissa had noticed, and they had talked the situation over amongst themselves. Paul and Melissa were used to seeing those scenes of poverty and misery, they had been hardened to them since their earliest youth, but to Lukas they were seriously hurtful.

Together they had tried to come up with something they could do, and Lukas had spent time on exploring all the options. He had decided on healing as many as he could, handing out as much food and as many blankets as he could afford without bankrupting himself, and he kept reminding his rich friends of the plight of the poor, and always contributed to their plans to improve life for at least some of the people around them.

But Lukas had also decided not to let his concern for others ruin his own life, he had his share of fun, and he ate well and dressed well. And if a situation really oppressed him, he detached himself from it, making himself unhappy over something that one person could not change was useless, and he was not going to do that.

But all in all, life was good to him, he loved his work, he loved his friends, he loved being able to heal, though he did have to do it secretly in London, for of course no-one must know he did it with magic. Actually, Lukas was thinking of opening his own healing-practice, he was still working on the idea, for it had to pretend to be a real practice, using powders and pills instead of magic.

Lukas was a very observant man, and even in Greece he had a suspicion Melissa might be with child. His grandfather and his aunt had both hinted as much, he knew Melissa would not have understood their hints, but to him the allusions were very clear.

And Melissa had shown some clear signs of pregnancy, emotional instability, lessened now she was working hard setting up their own business whilst still doing inspections and learning magic. Sleepiness, though Lukas had to admit he felt sleepy himself due to the cold and the dark. It was as if the body wanted to hibernate.

And most of all, a sensitivity in taste, she could not bear to drink coffee or wine anymore, both of which she had liked before.

He had not dared ask her about her period, ladies were very discreet about that here.

What made him want to shout with joy was, that if he was right, the new life had been started in Greece, and that he was the father. His grandfather had been very clear about that. This thought excited him very much, but he did not know what to do with his happy expectations.

For he knew Melissa didn't want a child at all, so how could he hope for one with this much fervour?

And Melissa loved Paul more than himself, and was married to him. Would they mind if the child resembled Lukas?

Having met some of his children, he realized he passed on his physical traits very strongly. Melissa and Paul knew about Katarina and Damara, but Lukas had seen many more young people with his own look, satyr and human, of course he knew all the women that he had slept with in the past, and he had been received with enthusiasm by some of them, had even had some of his sons and daughters introduced to him.

They all resembled him very much. There would be no mistake whose baby it was, if indeed he was right and Melissa was with child.

He hoped Paul would understand, of course it was all a matter of chance, and Paul would be the father of any further children Melissa had. But this first one, always special, what husband wouldn't want his first child to be his own?

Well, until Melissa acknowledged the signs, and was prepared to talk about it, Lukas would keep his own council. He suspected she was denying the changes in her body, and with success, she showed no signs of stress.

If she started to, Lukas would be there for her, and until then, he would try to forget as well, postponing the shock to the woman he loved beyond all other people, and the possible disappointment of his most beloved friend.

Then one evening, as they were dining with the Nomes' family, having a really good time despite a freezing, driving rain outside, there was a visitor at the door of the manor.

He came in dripping wet, his clothes plastered to his body, his beautiful face wet as if he was crying, and at the head of the table their host turned white with feeling, stood up, chair falling behind him, and ran at the visitor, tears wetting his face, as if he had been the one walking through the driving rain.

Within seconds, George had Hermes in his arms, squeezing him tightly, and being squeezed just as firmly. Everyone at that table, Frances included, had to swallow a few times at the sight of two grown men showing such intense love openly.

Melissa grabbed Paul's hand, thinking of how being separated had broken both men's heart, and how much they must have missed each other. It was heart-rending, to see stable George break down and cry, even with joy.

'I'm sorry love, I seem to have gotten you all wet,' Hermes said gently.

George replied, just as gently: 'Never mind, I was going to offer you some dry clothes anyway, might as well put on some dry ones myself. You're cold. I can't wait to see you in a jumper.'

They left the room to go upstairs.

Melissa was really, really curious whether they'd come back straight away and save the loving for after dinner, or whether the company would proceed with dinner without host.

Frances said, in a droll tone: 'They may take a while, English clothing has so many buttons, let's just continue dinner.'

That broke the strange atmosphere, and soon they were all talking and laughing again.

Lukas was strangely glad to see his father again, and hoping to get news of Dionysus and Rhoda. And of Katarina and Galan, and Ophelie, and Aphrodite.

Jonathan observed: 'You seem pleased to see your father, Lukas, I glad you've managed to work things out between you. Though I can imagine why you didn't like him at first.'

That boy was growing up so fast, and so well, Lukas thought, and he replied: 'We had our issues, and I guess my father did most of the work healing the breach between us. I even threatened him in his own villa, I thought he had pushed himself on Melissa. It turned out she was just comforting him for having to leave George.'

Jonathan could not help but laugh at Lukas giving his father all the credit for their new friendship: 'Having heard him talk to you before he brought himself down, I beg to differ, Lukas. Any suspicion you had against him must have been well-founded. He changed a lot during his stay here. I can easily understand his love for George, he is very special.'

Although Lukas had a much better bond with his father, he still didn't like sharing lovers with him, and George was one of his favourites, so Lukas changed the subject.

'Jonathan, does it hurt you to talk of your years in the wasteland?' he asked his young friend.

Smiling, Jonathan replied: 'Not anymore, since you helped me process those memories. Why?'

'You know I'm from a different culture,' Lukas said, thinking of how to proceed, 'we live under the thumbs of our gods, but in our culture, no-one is cold, or hungry, or left to waste away in sickness.

As the weather has started to turn, I'm seeing destitute people everywhere, hungry, sick, dying, and no-one seems to care. Is that the price of freedom?'

'Most people would think I'm to young to have the right to an opinion on that, Lukas,' Jonathan observed, 'but of course you have seen what I have been through. Our suffering was not ignored by other people, they often left food on the edge of the terrain, and sometimes even clothes and blankets. Old and worn, for they were poor themselves, but those gifts saved our lives in winter, and they proved someone did care.

They were just very much afraid of our mindlessness, and the feeling of wrong pervading that place. And of course no one person can save all the suffering people even in one part of the city. Personally, I hope we will live to see a London where people can be both free and benevolent, not just one of those.'

This was clearly something that occupied Jonathan's thoughts as well as Lukas'

'You know I want to work towards that very much, and I think magic can be used to improve the world. Like Tristan, and George, and all of you, I will learn as much as I can, and do everything I can to improve this city.'

Jonathan now looked Lukas in the eye, and said: 'If you need someone to help you heal people, I will come with you, you know I am strong, I can handle what I will see. Thanks to you I've escaped from my Hell, now I want to free others, please let me do my part.'

They shook hands on that, and Lukas was certain he would let Jonathan do his share. He agreed with Melissa, that Jonathan was somehow destined to become either a force for good, or one for evil, with no choices in between. And like Melissa, he was determined to help the boy choose the right way.

Quicker than they expected, George came back with Hermes, both dressed in warm, dry clothes, no jumpers of course, George didn't even have those. Warm clothes could be good-looking, if one had taste and money.

George took his usual place at the head of the table, whilst Hermes greeted everyone at the table personally.

Lukas was pleased to see his father greet Paul with true affection, and he could see genuine affection in Paul as well. Well, that was something their journey had brought that he could be glad of. Lukas did not have good memories of that visit, to him it had been one big tragedy, and not even saving his daughter and restoring order and safety to his people could ever wipe the images of Paul's horrific wounds and memories out of his mind.

And the mindless adulation of the people, how could his family value that so much? It made Lukas sick to the stomach, he would rather be a beggar in the freezing rain than be worshipped by sheep-eyed people again. No, Lukas realized he was meant to live in London, no matter how much he missed the heat of the sun, and the olives, and the lovely fresh cheese.

Of course his father greeted Melissa with obvious love. But knowing they had reached an understanding had taken away his fear for her, Hermes loved her, but he also respected her, and she had come to love him as something more than just a father-in-law, but she loved Paul and Lukas much more, and that was enough. Melissa would not share love in London, and anyway, George would keep Hermes occupied most of the time. They embraced with obvious feeling, but then parted without regret.

There was no danger of losing her, and that was everything he had ever hoped for. Except for one thing, of which he had started to see ever more signs, though Melissa still didn't speak of it. Maybe she really could deny it, or maybe she was desperate to talk, but afraid to be confirmed in her fears. Lukas decided there and then to flex his morals once more, and eavesdrop on her emotions tonight, in bed, just before she fell asleep.

Then he was taken into a firm embrace by his father, who was truly very happy to see him. 'You look fine, my son, still powerful I see, and very happy, despite the cold. I have good news for you, on many subjects, but tonight I want to be with George. Can I visit tomorrow?'

Witnessing his father's true attachment to George, Lukas was touched somehow, and he felt a bit ashamed to not want to share George with Hermes. Lukas loved George so much himself, and he had been desperately unhappy when Hermes left.

'Yes, please father, my curiosity is killing me, but not as much as George's longing for you is killing him. So go with him, and love each other, and we'll meet tomorrow. Our place?'

Hermes nodded, then sat with George in total silence, just feeling each other's presence.

Wishing to give them time together, but not eager to spend the evening on her own, Frances convinced her husband and his guest to feel free to retire early, no-one would feel slighted.

And that was true, they all enjoyed dessert, and coffee, and went home late.

They accepted Tristan's offer to drive them home, neither of them wanted to be drenched, cycling through this freezing rain. They'd pick up the cycles tomorrow, hopefully the weather would improve.

'If your father means to stay a whole week, I'd better hand him an invitation to our wedding,' Tristan said, laughing. 'Can't have him crash another wedding, now can we?'

Lukas could really appreciate the humour of the English, he loved to be made the victim of a joke, and his father could do with the experience as well, Greek gods were so used to taking everything seriously.

They parted in an excellent humour, and went to bed immediately, though they did not go to sleep straight away. Tonight, Paul and him jumped Melissa, and as they stroked her and felt her up, and tasted her and nibbled her, Lukas opened his mind to her feelings, feeling only slightly guilty for his breach of privacy.

She was happy Hermes was visiting, though she had no inclination to share love with him, she really wanted news on everyone they knew in Greece. Lukas felt her genuine pity for both Rhoda and Dionysus, she feared the latter would have been punished beyond reason.

And she was very curious whether Katarina would be with child by now, and Ophelie. See, it did occupy her thoughts. Ophius had told her about Aphrodite's touch, as if it enhanced the chance of getting pregnant. They were nearing the subject that mattered to Lukas, but he had real trouble staying focussed, for his body was telling him to stop thinking and start making love.

But this was important to Lukas, so he ignored it and continued to allow Melissa's feelings to pass his shields.

Her lust was steadily rising, and she felt glad that she was still able to feel such heat. How could any woman be so fortunate to share a bed and her love with two such loving men? Why couldn't she be a normal woman and hope to be pregnant when her period was nearly two weeks overdue, instead of alternately hoping it was true for Lukas' sake, and fearing it was true for her own.

That was enough information for Lukas, she showed no sign at all of her inner battle, it must be the magic that taught such control, or maybe her stable character, but the fact was, Melissa was still suffering fear alone, and she needn't be. Paul and himself had been very clear on that.

But first things first, and Lukas gave himself up to the demands of his body, taking their love-making to the next level. The doubts and worries in Melissa's mind were overruled by passion, soon followed by his own lust taking over. He did not forget Paul in his ardour, Paul was totally comfortable now with letting himself be brought to great heights by the acknowledged master of love, and with returning the favour as well.

They managed to keep the heat on for ten more minutes, and then Paul was overcome by an explosive release. He was usually fighting sleep straight afterwards, and tonight was no exception. Lukas stroked him gently to help him find it, despite being distracted by Melissa's exploring tongue on the head of his penis.

As soon as Paul had succumbed to sleep, Lukas carefully removed himself from her mouth, and entered her in one smooth, decisive move.

She gasped and said: 'You did that on purpose, you just put him to sleep to have me to yourself!'

Thrusting firmly, he admitted: 'I did, but I did it nicely, didn't I? We need to talk, you've been sly with us, keeping things from us, when you promised you'd talk about them.'

'All right, all right, I'll talk to you later, just quit the talking now and get on with it.' She could be just shameless when the heat had a hold of her, he loved her so much for that, as well as for all the other things.

But first things first, and within seconds he had her moaning, until she grabbed for his horns, which had him gasping, and pumping away faster than even his own eyes could see. They came at the same time, a fortunate coincidence, always a good omen, and he needed one, for he had breached her privacy and she was going to be angry.

He did not crash on her, afraid to hurt her, and that was a mistake, for not showing her his usual abandonment had her suspicious in an instant. Hoping to make up, he let his full weight rest on top of her anyway, and it did make her happier instantly.

Lukas admired his beloved for her strong mind, a mind that had even impressed his family, but at this very moment it frightened him a little, too. What if she got really angry, he'd really hate to have that happen.

Of course Melissa saw his anxiety, but what did Lukas have to fear? From her? He must have done something really bad then, much worse than purposely setting Paul asleep to talk in private.

He didn't even dare speak up, he reminded her of the old Lukas, always afraid to do something wrong, to break some incomprehensible rule.

It was a very, very long time ago that she had seen him like that, and though she could not think of anything he could do that would anger her, he did look irresistible that way. So shy, she melted at the spot, and just had to kiss the dent in his lip, and the rest of that cute face.

Lukas didn't even need to lower his shielding to feel the incredible burst of love, it hit him like a board. In a good way. It practically stunned him with love, and he had trouble breathing for a moment.

Then he felt her mind brush his, that might be the best solution, not to try to put things in words, but to just exchange thoughts and feelings directly. He should have done that way before now, then he would have known the truth without resorting to breaching her privacy, but they had all been so busy, and he truly hadn't realized something was up.

He invited her in and came clear all at once, everything. Afraid to feel her disappointment in him, he bowed his head to take what was coming, but he didn't get what he feared.

Instead his face was lifted by his chin, and he was kissed heartily, and this time she did lick the dent in his lip first. The new shower of kisses was accompanied by an overwhelming relief and her own need to come clear. She forgave him his small indiscretion, it was not an active invasion, in a way he couldn't help catching thoughts, it was his nature, and she did need him and was glad he had felt it.

She felt bad herself, for not keeping her own promise to share her feelings with them, for she had not told Paul anything either.

Melissa had managed to convince herself that nothing was going on, though she felt ever more signs of being with child. Strangely enough, she had accepted the idea, but not the reality. Finding it confirmed in Lukas' observations was a kind of relief, but now she wanted to be sure. A few months extra warning would make reality easier to accept, wouldn't they?

Strangely enough, the idea of this child being Lukas' did not concern her at all, she had not the slightest fear that Paul would be hurt by that. She thought it was totally fitting that the person who was looking forward to this the most, was going to have an active share in it.

Nature working in certain ways, there would probably be more children in the future, and they would be Paul's, which was fitting as well, for by then he'd know what was coming, but for now Paul was as much in the dark as Melissa herself.

She wanted Lukas to check her with his Gift, right now. So he did, and of course it was easy to see, her whole body was working overtime, so much was changing to accommodate the new life growing inside her, the inside of her breasts, her muscle-tone, her blood.

Small wonder her taste was changing, and suddenly he realized her mood would change too, to stimulate her to take care of a helpless being. Minds still connected, Melissa could see the changes going on inside her, and though part of her was really upset, still believing she was not suited to be a mother, and still afraid too much would change, another part of her was impressed by the fluency with which her body was adapting itself to its new function.

Once an engineer, always an engineer, was Lukas' amused thought, and it broke Melissa's shock. Was she like Lukas, desperately afraid of the possibility of something happening, then just accepting the fact once it really had?

She didn't know, but she knew she wanted a cuddle from her beloved. She would tell Paul in the morning, but now she wanted comfort from the one who was aching to have what she had feared for so long.

Holding Lukas close, Melissa started to feel acceptance. She had denied the possibility for weeks, but subconsciously she had gotten those hints from Ophius, from Zeus, from Aphrodite, and she had felt the changes inside herself. She had denied them to give herself more time, but Lukas was much better in giving her acceptance than time was.

Holding him close, and smelling his enticing musk, she decided to let go of the fear. It was not just her problem, she could share it and thereby lessen it. She would trust this man, who had seen it all before, and she would follow his lead in this.

He felt nice, strong, muscular, though he would always be slight of build. Lukas would probably look like this forever, whilst Paul and she would grow older. She felt his chest and arms, rock hard again with forging and hammering, Lukas had taken to steel as much as Paul, almost forgetting copper, bronze and brass in the process.

His stomach, hard as well, and his legs, still impossibly developed, ending in springy hocks and rock-hard hoofs, so well-suited to running. And something else that was rock-hard again, how could someone be so solid beneath his skin, and still feel so soft to the touch?

She wanted to feel him inside her again, and already felt him enter her, very slowly and smoothly this time. Her fervour exploded again, the intimacy of their connected minds, the feeling of her flesh around him, mixed with his touch on her inside.

It was very comforting to be connected in every possible way, and they lost track of what belonged to whom for some time, feeling a touch and touching at the same time. It was heady and not something to do often, for it could be confusing, but they did not think, they just felt, and this time, everything was right.

Even in slow-motion, the total connection gave such strong impulses that their heat rose very quickly, and soon Lukas was thrusting with abandonment. That was something Melissa had not experienced from his side since his rise to godhood, and now she understood why he loved it so much. The combination of intense lust, and intense stimulation, combined with screaming muscles and heaving lungs felt so good to him, he had to give his all.

Melissa felt his ardour rise fast, and since it was hers too, it spiralled, rising ever faster. Very soon they both arched in release, and this time Lukas did not hesitate to crash on his beloved. He felt her intense satisfaction, and a sleepy acknowledgement of his final feeling: intense joy that he was going to be a father for real one more time, and this time he was going to be allowed to be totally hands-on, experience everything.

Then Melissa snuggled against Paul, oblivious in his sleep, and Lukas snuggled against Melissa, and they fell asleep, minds still connected.

The next morning, Melissa awoke when it was still dark. Lukas was watching her sleep, still in bed, he never rose before sunrise, she wondered whether he'd manage to stick to that once the days got really short. Maybe he really would stay in bed all day when he found out how long the dark would last in midwinter.

He was watching her with a soft, bemused look, but when he noticed she had opened her eyes it changed into a broad, broad smile. His face approached her, and he kissed her almost formally, very tenderly. 'I'm sorry love,' he said, eyes twinkling, 'I just can't help feeling incredibly happy. Over the moon!'

'You are forgiven,' Melissa said, laughing, 'if you'll kiss me again, and for real this time.'

Without hesitation, he took her in his arms and kissed her lustily, fondling her breasts, rubbing something hard firmly against her thighs.

'I think my fears of becoming sexless are totally unfounded, I feel heated more than ever, even more than in Greece,' Melissa admitted, 'shall we go to the apartment and have at it? Paul will not wake for hours yet, and George is undoubtedly very busy. We'll have to please ourselves.'

They frolicked in her old bedroom, Lukas took her against the wall again, saying: 'As long as I can still lift you,' with a cheeky grin.

But he also explored her changing body very gently, with intense love that Melissa could feel overflow his shields. Nothing could stop that love.

He did not totally sate her, 'You must have something left for Paul,' they just took the edge off their heat, then laid on the bed together, remembering old times in this room.

Melissa could see Lukas spilling a few tears, he might have adapted totally to Victorian England, but deep in his huge heart he was still a sentimental Greek, and memories could do that to him. Melissa was relieved she didn't feel the need to weep herself, turning into an emotional wreck was her greatest fear of all.

'I'm not sentimental over when I first came here, well I am a bit, but I'm mostly crying because I'm so intensely happy.'

They went back to the big bed, still holding each other closely, until it started to get light outside, and Lukas dressed to go for his run.

'I'll go by the manor to pick up my bicycle, I'll try to bring yours too. Give him a hug from me.' That last he said nudging at Paul, who opened his eyes and said: 'Better give him a hug yourself, you can spare the time. And a kiss.'

Lukas certainly had a kiss to spare for Paul, and a hug. His intense happiness translated itself to his friend, who found himself laughing for no apparent reason.

'That is a nice way to wake up, instead of your usual gloom over the cold or the dark! Glad your dad's visiting?'

'Can't remember you being awake to hear me complain about getting up, ever, lazy lout. Melissa will tell you why I am happy, and it's not my dad's visit, though I'm surprisingly glad to see his sleek old self again. Bye now, see you in an hour!

And he was off.

By now, Melissa was in his arms, and Paul kissed her and waited for her to tell him what Lukas was so happy about. Frankly, Paul had thought Lukas a bit low since their return from Greece, he suspected it was not just the weather, but his growing awareness of the suffering in the city, it always intensified in fall, when the weather turned and living outside became downright dangerous. Lukas must be feeling it day in day out.

It would get worse with the onset of winter and freezing temperatures, they would have to keep a close eye on their beloved friend, he had learned to keep a tight rein on his feelings. But now, Melissa was trying to tell him something, and it didn't make her as happy as it did Lukas, so he knew what it was, and she didn't need to look for words.

'It has happened, hasn't it? We're going to be parents?'

She nodded, not trusting her voice.

'Lukas checked? With his talent?'

Still no voice, but a nod.

'I think I'm actually glad, Melissa, I hope you don't mind. Lukas is so happy, and he knows everything there is to know. He'll need something to keep him cheerful this winter, I think the plight of the homeless hits him hard. It's so much worse when it's cold.'

He tightened his hold on her, looked her straight in the eye, and said: 'I'm taking a certain risk here, beloved, but I'm going to do it anyway. Congratulations, dearest, you're going to be a mother!' And he kissed her tenderly.

Instead of starting to cry, as he had more or less expected, she found her voice back, and said: 'Thank you, love. And congratulations to you too. I find that I'm like Lukas, intensely afraid that something might happen, and now it has, I'm not nearly as afraid anymore.

Of course it helps that he is over the moon, and not able to hide any of it. But there is more.'

Reassured that she was not dismayed, he asked quietly: 'More news? More reason for Lukas to be very happy?'

'Both. He is certain that this baby is his. Remember what his grandfather said to me? And Aphrodite hinted at it as well, he said. Do you mind?' She asked, but he could see she expected him not to mind at all, and she knew him well.

He kissed her again, nuzzling her neck, glad she was so calm about this, and kind of happy for themselves as well, and said: 'I don't. You know me well. It may sound strange to you, but whoever was the father, this baby would be mostly Lukas' anyway, since he wants it so much. It'll probably look just like him, I saw his face everywhere in Ephyra, didn't you? Imagine him as a baby, the cuteness of him, though there is only one true Lukas.

We'll be a real family, and Tristan and Ilsa as well, you can share complaints.'

That was a comforting thought to Melissa, Ilsa had been so down to earth about the whole thing, Melissa could use some of that attitude.

'So you don't mind, that is what I told Lukas.'

'It will not have hoofs, will it? For that would be unfair to a child, even with the Nomes' nearby. I loved those little satyr babies, make no mistake, but there is no place for them in London.' Paul did show a little worry at that idea. But Aphrodite had been very clear on that score: 'Aphrodite assured me that was not going to happen. They must have checked before we left, Zeus did take my hand, remember? Still way above us, those gods, not telling me about it.'

'Well, I wouldn't have dared to tell you either, you were so emotional, they were probably afraid you'd bite their heads off, bringer of bad news, you know.' That got him a cuff around the ears, a playful one, and Paul received it in the spirit in which it was offered, by retaliating with a pillow.

Of course their horsing around quickly turned to exchanging intimacies, and Paul observed: 'Well, two of your worst fears have not come true, you're not an emotional wreck, and you're certainly not sexless. You may be more attractive than ever.'

'Thank you, love, now get to it, or I may start to cry.'

And he did get to it, and Melissa was very pleased to find that he did not suddenly treat her differently, he was as gentle and as loving as ever, but he didn't hesitate at all to thrust himself in her, and he let his body shove hers as he did so, making her feel very wanted and taking her to glorious heights before he climaxed himself and crashed right on her, taking only the slightest bit of his weight on his own arms as he usually did, heaving from the exertion.

They spent some more time in bed, but decided to get some work done before Hermes visited, so after getting dressed and having breakfast they went to work, still processing the idea they would be a family next summer.

About an hour later, Lukas came in by the back door, having put his bicycle away, and he brought Hermes with him. 'No George?' Paul inquired mildly, and Hermes said: 'No, we've had a lovely night, but I wanted to see you by yourselves. It was so good to be with him again, I've missed him so much. Though I'm very happy with Ophelie as well, but she looks up to me, and George keeps me on my own level, and he's such a haven of safety.'

'Let's go to the living-room, I'm hungry,' Lukas stated, and they all went upstairs and downstairs again, making tea and coffee, and getting some rich treats for whoever wanted them.

As they sat down, Hermes looked around to ask permission to sit with Melissa, and she decided matters by inviting him in her arms: 'I want to hold you close, next you'll be with George again, but now you're mine for half an hour.'

And he settled against her, snugly, and he wondered if she saw him as a kind of pet, but the guys expected the news from him so he delivered it.

'Our family decided to spare Dionysus on Aphrodite's and Lykos' request. He has been given a last chance to redeem himself, though Hera wanted his guts for dinner. She has hated him from the start, though no-one knows why. Dionysus just turned up one day, complete with a string of followers and worshippers, no-one knows where he originally came from. Maybe Hera hates him for being an upstart.

Anyway, we have blocked his magic and put him in a situation where he needs to work for a living, bear responsibility. If he can prove to us that he can be useful, we will give him his Gift back. Whether he gets his position amongst us back depends on his own actions.

His boredom and selfishness have brought him where he is now, if he can conquer them there is still hope. He will certainly have a rough time, but we hope he will grow for the suffering he will do, as I became a different person through my own.'

'I suppose you're not going to tell us where he is?' Lukas asked.

'We're not. It is of the greatest importance that he is left by himself, so we will keep his location a secret. His estate is managed by a faithful underling, I've learned a lot from you, Paul, about delegating to mortals, Ophius and me have selected him after hearing Hailee, we offered her the position first but she refused.'

Lukas was disappointed, but he was not going back to Greece anyway, so what did it matter?

'Rhoda is doing well, according to my father, his spouse could not restore her magic but she did manage to heal the trauma. She is still at their villa, and working at becoming an artist, apparently she has a talent for developing mosaic. That is a noble job, and she will have a good chance at a normal life.

Rhoda remembers all that has happened, and she has begged Zeus to relay a message to you, Paul. She hopes you can find it in you to forgive her what she did to you. The memories of your suffering were the last Hera managed to fade, Rhoda did not think she deserved to forget the pain she inflicted on another innocent.

Paul did show some pain at the memory of that horror, but Lukas was already with him, and the two of them seemed to share some unspoken feeling of satisfaction, that could have nothing to do with what happened in Greece.

Suddenly Melissa knew, it was their impending fatherhood, they were both looking forward to it, and somehow they were sharing their feelings wordlessly, their joy transcending their bad memories.

Hermes saw it too, and commented: 'You two are not looking that smug because Rhoda apologized, you have some news as well. Let's have it then.'

Smiling broadly now, Lukas said: 'It's not ours to tell, I'm sorry father. I just get to look smug and share my satisfaction with Paul. You're the one sitting with Melissa.'

Of course this got her a surprised look from Hermes, and since she was eager to share her experience with Ilsa anyway she decided to just be open about it: 'I seem to have gotten with child in Greece, Hermes. Lukas has been told by family members of his that it is his child, and apparently both gentlemen over there are pretty pleased to become fathers.'

But Hermes remembered a scene on the terrace of his villa, looked at her intently and asked very seriously: 'And you, lovely, are you still so very afraid? Or can you look forward to becoming a mother, like Katarina?'

That showed those men, to be so secretive.

'Katarina is finally with child? I'm so happy for her, she wanted it so much! Ophius told me it was Aphrodite's touch, do you think that's true?'

Hermes had never heard that one before, so he thought for a second, then replied: 'Actually, I think it's someone else's 'touch', I think both gentlemen are going to become fathers, that taller, lighter haired one in my family-circle. But you haven't answered my question yet, are you upset by your condition?'

He was so sweet when he allowed himself to be, and Melissa answered honestly: 'I'm the one who is going to do the hard work, so I'm not as happy as they are. But I can face the idea, and I trust Lukas to tell me what to do.'

That answer satisfied Hermes, and told them the rest of the news, how the satyrs were doing, how Aphrodite had turned to her husband for comfort, and not without mutual benefit, for their difficult relationship had improved immensely.

How Ophelie was very happy to get a grandchild, and not yet one of her own.

How she had pleaded Hermes to let her be monogamous because such was her nature, and how Hermes had reminded himself of Paul's statement that some people just loved that way, and weren't unhappy or unhealthy, just different, and how he had decided to not bug her anymore with sharing and just let her be herself.

He also told them how Galan was already making a name for himself with his excellent steel swords, practically forced to get himself an apprentice to increase his production and free himself from the less involved jobs.

That reminded Lukas to ask a question that might become important once Melissa's time was approaching: 'How many days have passed since we left, father?'

A bit surprised by the question, Hermes answered it readily: 'Three weeks, son, plus one day. Why do you want to know?'

'Because here, a month has passed already, so it seems as if time passes by more quickly here. If Melissa wants Aphrodite to be here when it is her time for birthing, we need to take that time-difference into account.'

Hermes thought about that for a few moments, then replied: 'It is interesting to know, but it doesn't matter a whole lot: if you have need of Aphrodite, just stick your head through the portal and call out for her. She will hear, and if she is able to, she will come, or send word. The same goes for me, no need to even enter our world, just call out and I will hear your need.'

Time passed by quickly as they talked about a lot of things. Melissa enjoyed the feel of Hermes and his presence, though she had not exactly missed him.

Paul was amazed that Galan's steel swords were already well-known in the entire area, he had been at home for the same amount of time, he had made his own swords within the week, shown them to Mr Jones, but he had not had any demand for it yet.

'But Galan has undoubtedly taken his to the group he practices with, and they would have seen its superior quality immediately. You are not a fighter, you have no skill to demonstrate a sword, no connections amongst fighters, plus, this city is so much larger than our villages, so many people live here, most of them don't speak to one another,' Hermes offered as explanation.

Melissa wondered how he knew, he had never been to the city, hadn't he? Maybe George had taken him?

'That is true, I hadn't thought of that. I did sell a lot of bicycle parts made of the stuff, that is what I'm known for here. Oh well, they look very nice on the mantle-piece, very decorative. Maybe someone will show up for them.

After two hours of talking, a carriage stopped in front of the house, it was George, coming to pick up Hermes for a tour of the city.

Melissa gave Hermes a big hug, and the two men went away together.

The three of them quickly went back to work, for with George busy, Jonathan would probably come by for a lesson in magic, or to ask a lot of questions.

As they were working, Paul asked Lukas: 'How are you holding up under the feelings coming in from the city, Lukas?'

Lukas answered: 'Reasonably well, I'd like to go into town more often and help people, and eventually I'd like to open a practice. Problem is, I can only heal with magic, wouldn't that be suspicious? Doesn't a doctor need pills and instruments?'

This seemed to please Paul, for he replied: 'You know the copper boiler, the large, undecorated one, that is ready to install? Well, I have an appointment for tomorrow, and the buyer is a doctor with a real practice, on the other side of town. We might hear something useful there. It's in the afternoon. Do you want to come too, Melissa?'

She decided she would, a pair of extra hands was always useful at an installation, and whilst they were working, she might have the opportunity to ask some questions.

'Where would you want to have the practice, Lukas?' she asked, knowing Lukas would not be able to see people hurt and do nothing.

'As close to home as possible, I wouldn't want to treat people all day, nor for money, I'd do it afternoons, and work with you in the mornings.'

Paul offered: 'But using magic in one place is usually not a good idea, it tends to attract hunters, or you'd have to shield it really well, like Tristan has done for my house.

Maybe you can get a space on the factory grounds, it would put you right close to your clients.'

Glad to be sharing thoughts on his intentions, Lukas replied: 'You are right, and destitute people usually don't travel, do they? Having a practice would make me vulnerable to discovery. But healing outside or in a hovel is often a problem, too. We really have to find a solution to that. I'm glad you want to help me think that through, you know the city so much better.'

Melissa offered: 'My father knows it better still, maybe you can go talk to him about it. I'm sure he will want to help you.'

'I will, love, I'm weighing my options, and thinking things through, and in the meantime I'll just keep practising outside, or wherever I'm needed. I have a good coat now, and I'll take someone along for protection at all times.' After that remark, Lukas had to concentrate on his work once more, and the conversation stopped, but Paul knew Lukas could still bear the feelings of the world around him, and was rather trying to find a way to help, than let himself be hindered by the knowledge he could do only so much.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Of course they dined at the manor that night, and Melissa told everyone they would be having a child in summer. Ilsa was thrilled, and frankly, so was Melissa herself. It was good to share the experience with someone she liked.

They visited her parents the next morning, and shared the news, and whilst Melissa got some good advice from her mother, and assurances that her mother had always managed to keep her job, the guys talked to Jakob about practising healing magic.

'The best thing would be to either keep moving around and use magic openly, or to have a practice and cover the magic with pills and powders and instruments,' Jakob said, 'but it will be very hard on you, Lukas, there is so much wrong in this city, you cannot cure everyone. You will have to take great care not to become depressed, though you told me you can detach yourself from emotions, since becoming a god?'

Lukas replied: 'I can, but my emotions make me human, I'd hate to not feel things anymore.'

To this, Jakob commented: 'You need the detachment to stay sane, Lukas. You cannot help people if you are raving mad, and you will become raving mad if you feel everything you witness. Better detach yourself from the worst of it, and go on doing good.

You keep an eye on him as well.'

That last of course was meant for Paul.

'And don't overprotect my daughter, she really hates that. Just make her promise to tell if she is overburdened.'

"What if she doesn't keep it?' Paul asked, laughing.

"You let him eavesdrop,' was his reply, Lukas looking guilty as a clear sign he had already done as much, 'she can be stubborn.'

In the afternoon they hired a cart with driver to take the boiler and the piping to the other side of town, and followed it with their bicycles. Though the roads were not improving with the weather, they all managed to keep up with the cart, and after half an hour they arrived in a neighbourhood much like their own, except that it was less green.

They padlocked the bicycles to a little fence, and unloaded the cart, then paid and dismissed the driver. The door was opened by a small and slight young woman, who nonetheless had quite a presence. She introduced herself as Adison, nothing more. They introduced themselves by their first name as well, and got ready for the job.

As the guys lifted the boiler and took it inside, Melissa followed with the piping and the tools, finding herself in a nice, large, middle-class house. The woman led them to an interesting room, looking much like a bathroom with a large tub at one end, but with an additional space with several shower-heads attached to the walls on both sides.

She explained: 'Water comes out of the nozzles, it's called a shower.' Then she realized they probably knew that, dealing in boilers, and she added: 'We don't like to wait for each other, this way we can all shower together. Only it's getting cold outside, and our boiler takes so long to heat. Victor had no time to spare to build a smaller boiler, one that heats more quickly and efficiently. Then he saw one of yours at a patient's. This one is rather large, though.'

Someone who developed his own boilers, Paul couldn't wait to meet him! But first he explained: 'As far as I know, this boiler is supposed to replace the original one, it is very fuel-efficient so it can be left burning all day. I can even lead the piping to the kitchen for a steady hot water supply, and the piping will heat the house.'

Adison now looked confused: 'He didn't tell me any of that, he only asked me to open the door, because he had a patient, why don't you find a good place to put that new boiler and I'll get him, he's probably done by now.'

So the doctor had developed his own boiler, interesting! Paul and Lukas started to look for a suitable place to put the boiler, starting with the spot where the old one stood, a huge beast of solid bronze, as large as Paul would have dared to make it, or maybe a tiny bit larger. It would be thick-walled, to withstand the pressure of so much hot water.

The piping went only to the bath, also huge and solid, as large as Paul's own tub but much less pretty, not to the showers. They were fed by piping coming from the roof, and Paul guessed the source of the water was up there, being heated by the sun. A small copper device in a corner denied that theory, for this was a steam-powered pump, used to take the water to the roof, where it was probably led through coils of black piping to let the sun heat it. Primitive, but inventive as well, and the little pump was a nice piece of engineering.

Lukas commented cheekily: 'I think we have one of your kind here, Melissa and Paul, respected doctor, invents conveniences, probably little time for other things.' They laughed at the memory of themselves, always at work, never having time for fun, or for love.

But the presence of a pretty young lady in the house belied that, and to stress the fallibility of their first impression, a little child of about two came into the room, a pretty girl with inky black hair, followed by what was probably the doctor and inventor, a rather handsome brown haired young man with a rather reticent demeanour

He indeed introduced himself as Victor, and the girl as Catherine, Adison's daughter, but the girl had already attached herself to Lukas. Somehow, children seemed to be drawn to Lukas, and this little girl was no different.

Except that this girl seemed to look right through him, giving him strange looks, like Jonathan had. Lukas checked, and indeed, the child did show a distinct talent, not even close to developing, but still there, posing a real danger to her since anyone with sight could spot it.

Lukas offered her his hand and said: 'I'm Lukas.'

The girl took it without hesitation, but she did let him know she had seen through him: 'I'm Catherine. Are you a man?'

He was not going to lie to anyone, not even a two year old, so he said softly: 'No, not entirely, but please don't tell anyone. I look human enough, don't I?' This with a big wink and his most ingratiating smile.

She digested this information, and his innocent looks, and decided to please him: 'All right, I won't. Tell me what you are?'

He replied: 'I have to work now, but if there is time, I will.'

They turned their attention to the others, and after shaking hands with the doctor, Lukas found out they had decided what to do by now. The old boiler was to be removed and replaced by the new one, and hooked up to the bath and the showers.

The doctor had ears for having hot water ready in the kitchen all the time, and in their practice as well, and he couldn't believe that one boiler could heat the whole house, but Paul managed to convince him it could.

Apparently Adison was not his wife but his colleague, and he was going to talk it over with her and their respective spouses and decide later. They could always expand at a later date.

So Paul and Lukas went to work, removing the old boiler was not difficult, until the time came to move it out of the room. It would not budge, it was so heavy they could not lift it together. Victor said: 'I hadn't thought of that, should've had Vincent remove it, I knew how heavy it was. I suppose he's already off to work. Bother.

Still, Mina can help. Do you want it, Paul, for the bronze? I'm not going to have time to play with steam anymore, you've shown me very clearly that is best left to the specialists.'

Paul was stunned with the offer, and said: 'I most certainly do, if I can get it home.' He looked at the boiler intently and added: 'But it's prime quality bronze, I can't just take that, we'll discuss the price later.'

Frankly, the doctor didn't seem interested in money, but he said politely: 'Exactly, I know people who will transport that for you for a good price, and we'll discuss what it is worth later. Let's first get it out of here so you can do your job.'

Melissa, meanwhile, was watching them work, when she felt a little hand seek hers. The little girl was standing next to her, and when Melissa looked at her she asked: 'Can I see horses?'

Not understanding at fist, she looked at the girl questioningly, until the girl pointed at her necklace. 'Oh, those horses, sure, let me kneel so you can study them.'

She kneeled beside the girl, who looked at her with a question in her eyes, and Melissa replied to the unspoken request: 'You can touch them, too, thank you for asking.'

Why did she feel totally justified to talk to a little girl as if she were an adult? The girl now looked intently at the little horses, tracing their movement up and around and down again.

'They move, and don't move,' she said, the same thing everyone always observed, but in a two-year old's language. Melissa confirmed: 'They do seem to move.'

'Gold?' the girl asked, her tone betraying she knew it wasn't, but had no idea what it could be otherwise.

'It's copper, like the new boiler. Like the colour of my hair.' Somehow, a conversation about her horses was not complete without mentioning her hair, so this time, Melissa did it herself.

'Gold is the colour of your mom's hair.'

The girl smiled, a very pretty sight, it was a very pretty girl, exotic looking, her dad must be very dark-haired if her mother was blonde.

Just then the doctor asked: 'Catherine, would you be so kind as to ask Mina to come over to help lift some stuff?'

A toddler sent on an errand? Somehow Melissa was not surprised, and in a hunch she followed the small shape with sight as she left the room. She lighted up brightly, that was one strong talent the girl had, though not active. She'd check the others, too, that child was in danger if neither of her parents was an active mage.

Within a minute the little girl was back with another blonde young woman, a taller, more substantial one. She looked at Victor with distinct love, and he introduced her as his partner Mina and asked her to help the guys lift the boiler. He was not planning to do any lifting himself, that much was clear. The doctor was slight, but not more so than Paul and Lukas, maybe he was afraid to damage his hands.

But as the woman lent a hand, Paul and Lukas ignoring the strangeness of a woman helping instead of a man, it became clear that Victor didn't need to help, Mina could have lifted that boiler all by herself.

Within minutes, it was lying in the hall, and Lukas and Paul were fitting the new boiler in the space of the old, putting the piping in place first, and welding with one of Paul's neater inventions, a small torch that got very hot. Of course he could have used magic, but not in front of the customers.

The thought of magic, reminded Melissa of her intention to check the others for it. She quickly used sight on the blonde woman and found her not a woman at all. She had no clue what she was, she had the organs of a human, but her body was wired totally differently. Trying not to show her surprise, Melissa watched the men work.

The doctor had taken a distinct risk by asking Mina to help, a woman that strong was not normal by any standard, why had he done that?

It was clear Paul and Lukas had done this kind of job before, they were a superb team, and as in the workshop, they hardly ever spoke, they communicated with a look, a gesture.

When everything was going smoothly, the couple left, taking the girl with them.

After an hour of work, the smaller woman, Adison, came in to ask whether they wanted coffee or tea.

The guys wanted coffee, and as Melissa admitted she'd rather have tea, Adison looked at her in a certain way and said: 'I prefer tea as well, though I suppose you usually drink coffee.'

Could she have seen that Melissa was pregnant? As the guys told Adison they'd prefer to drink the coffee here, and continue to work, Melissa checked her with sight as well, and found her very talented, but in a different way from the girl.

'Will you come with me to the kitchen to help me carry? Catherine says you were very nice to her, let her touch your necklace with moving horses. Can't think what she meant by that, but of course she is only two, she can't say things exactly as she thinks of them, yet.'

In defence of the girl, Melissa drew her attention to the necklace, and Adison mused: 'I stand corrected, she told me exactly what she saw, those horses really do move. That is an exceptional piece of work. Did Paul make that? He does the talking, so I guess he is the master?'

'He is, and he made the horses. But his real love are his boilers and his inventions, though he is very much into steel swords as well, these days.'

'Steel swords,' said Adison, 'that sounds like a totally different cup of tea from boilers.'

'It is,' replied Melissa, 'a friend of his, who is a good fighter, developed a whole new kind of sword with him, made of steel, exceptionally balanced. He has several ready to bring them on the market, but he doesn't know any swordsmen.'

Adison smiled and observed: 'My fiancé is a sword-fighter, well, actually he's an actor, but he is very good with a sword, and he knows at least one swords-master. He might be willing to do some promoting if he likes your husband's swords.'

'How do you know we're married?' Melissa asked.

'It shows,' Adison said, 'I see things like that. The way you move as a group, communicate without words. And anyway, you wear the same rings, all three of you.'

By now they had arrived in a small, but very homely kitchen, where a rather broad man was sitting at a cosy table, and Melissa instantly knew he was Adison's husband, the actor, for he looked the very part.

He was very pale, even paler than herself, and yet his hair was raven black and very long. He was dressed in a very smart shirt with a valuable vest over it. His eyes were a disconcerting yellow, but the look in them was friendly.

Getting up to shake hands with her, he moved much lighter than his posture suggested, and she could easily believe he was a swordsman. With a friendly smile he introduced himself as Vincent, and Melissa introduced herself first name only as well.

As Adison made tea and coffee, her man invited Melissa to sit down for a moment, and he said: 'I'm off to work in a few moments, it's a totally different life, entertaining people. We work late and sleep late. But it's all I've ever wanted to do. Do you have an interesting job, Melissa?'

'I think I do,'she replied, 'I'm an engineer, I work for the council inspecting building sites, and I check my husbands inventions against the laws of physics.'

'That does sound interesting, and important as well.' Melissa checked him with sight as well, and regretted it instantly, for it was hard to keep up a polite conversation with a very nice man and try to make sense of the input she got. She gave up and just tried to memorise what she saw.

'I see it as my sworn duty to protect the world from my husbands inventions, yes,' she said cheekily, and got a sincere laugh in return.

'But his boilers are very safe, and very fuel efficient,' she tried to make up for her joke at Paul's expense.

And Adison added from behind her coffee-maker: 'And is it true they can heat the whole house, and send hot water to the kitchen?'

'It is, we have it ourselves and it is very convenient,' Melissa replied, 'especially in winter, with Lukas used to heat. He's from Greece originally.'

'I'd like to see that,' Adison observed, coffee nearly finished, 'your boiler, I mean, not Greece, that's a bit far away for me. It would be very helpful to have hot water in the practice. Maybe Vincent can try out one of those steel swords and we can have a look at your boiler? To see if we want the extension?'

'That would be a capital idea, Paul likes to show off his boiler-system, and we would like to ask you a favour, we have a decided interest in seeing a real doctor's practice: though he earns a living with crafting, Lukas spends his spare time healing the poor, people who cannot pay for a regular doctor, or even a roof over their heads. It would be much more convenient for him to do it in his own space, since he is from Greece and not very hardy.'

Now Adison showed a serious interest, but first she handed Melissa a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, and took two more cups herself, walking towards the kitchen door. Just before leaving the kitchen she asked her man: 'Will you be off soon?'

He replied: 'I'll come by the bathroom before I leave, I want to meet the creators of our new boiler, and exchange some sword-talk.'

Adison nodded and went ahead to the bathroom, where the coffee was received well, and the work had progressed a lot.

'We've got the piping all ready, to the showers as well, now we're going to hook up the boiler to your water-supply and to the pipes. It'll be ready to fire up in an hour or so.' Melissa could hear that things were going well, Paul sounded very pleased.

The guys stopped working for a few minutes to drink their coffee, and Lukas, always honest to the point of danger, bluntly asked: 'Adison, do you realize your daughter has a rather impressive mage talent that anyone with the same talent can see, even though it is still dormant?'

It was clear this hit a nerve with the woman, but she did not totally understand. She said, voice a bit shaken: 'She's not actually my own daughter, she's Vincent's, with his former wife. I never met her. But I don't understand, what's a mage talent?'

Melissa said: 'You told me you often see things like, us being together. That is a form of talent, too. It means you can do things that cannot be explained with physics.'

This caused Paul to laugh, and he said: 'Trust an engineer to explain magic, in just one sentence.'

'I have freed someone from possession,' Adison said, 'is that magic?'

Paul quit laughing instantly, and said: 'It is, a very powerful form of magic, especially if you can do it without knowing about the existence of magic, intuitively if you please.'

At this moment, Vincent came in, and seeing his loved one in total confusion, he asked: 'What's up? Boiler exploded? I didn't hear a thing.'

Her expression showed him she was serious, and she asked Lukas: 'Will you tell him what you told me?'

Looking in wonder at the man who had just come in, Lukas said: 'The little girl who was just here, Catherine, she has a powerful mage talent, though it is still dormant. And anyone else who is talented can see it in her. That can be very dangerous, not every talented person can be trusted.'

The big man didn't actually look confused, he looked as if this explained a lot. 'I believe you, I have good reason to. I have my work to go to, in about five minutes, but I think we need to know more of this magic talent. Can you explain to Adison what we can do to keep my daughter safe until then? Do I have it too?'

An excuse to take a good look at the fellow, that was just what Melissa wanted. But first Paul and Lukas shook hands with him.

All three of them blinked, and looked again.

Paul was the first to recover, and told the powerful looking man what he saw: 'I see an impressive talent in you, but it is not active, you could not use it. It rather seems as if it is tied to your essence, to your being, as if it is powering you. Are you by any chance very strong, even more so than you look?'

The look on both Adison and Vincent's faces spoke volumes.

'I'd say your daughter has that talent from you, but how yours got connected to your physical body is a mystery to me,' Paul said, 'maybe Melissa can find out, she can see through practically anything, and Lukas knows the human body like no other, he uses magic to heal, but that would take time, which neither of us have right now.

If you want to know, better take the time someday soon. Your talent is visible too, but you look like you can defend yourself.'

Vincent nodded, and he had to leave, so he said: 'We have your address, we need to know. Catherine has already been in danger, and apparently there is something going on in our world that we don't have a clue about. We cannot afford that. We will contact you.'

And with that, he left, and Lukas and Paul went back to work. Melissa went with Adison to the kitchen, where Victor and Mina were sitting as well.

She explained the situation to them, and they, too, looked as if she had just given a name to something they already knew about.

Melissa checked Victor, and he was totally mundane, no talent in sight. She told Adison that a talent was visible in her as well, and they all nodded, her abilities could be counted as magical. Curing possession, that was quite a feat, Melissa was certain George or Tristan would know in what order of magic that would fit.

And then there was Mina, whose organs were all wired the wrong way, how could she even be alive?

'You saw something in me too, didn't you?' the blonde woman asked, curiously. Melissa nodded, and replied: 'You have the same organs as normal people, but they seem to be wired differently. I'm amazed your are even alive, yet here you are, stronger than anyone except maybe your own house mate. I'm stunned.'

That also seemed to explain a lot to them, though not to Melissa. So she posed the important question: 'Might I have a look around your practice? Lukas is thinking of opening one to treat the poor and the destitute, those who could never afford your services, but it needs to look real.'

That also caused them to look at her strangely. She explained: 'He heals with magic, but magic-use is forbidden, so he needs to fool his patients into believing he uses medicine.'

That got a sarcastic look from Victor, who said: 'So many quacks trying to make people think they can heal by magic, and your friend can really do it and wants to hide it. It is the world upside down. But be my guest, I'll give you a tour myself.'

'Where is the little girl?' Melissa asked.

'She's having a nap,' Adison explained, 'she always comes to the theatre with us to watch her dad play, so we let her nap before it starts.'

'I guess she is safe with all of you,' Melissa said, 'most black mages seduce young talents with promises of education or power. But with the three of you around she cannot be seized by anything less than an army. Still, she would be safer with her talent hidden, as mine is.'

'If I have talent, as you call it, shouldn't I be able to see it in others as well?' Adison asked.

'You should, maybe you've just never tried. It is like looking at something with other eyes. Let me show you my talent.' Melissa gathered power and shaped a tiny ball of fire in her right hand.

'Did you see a light within me?' she asked Adison, ignoring the look of surprise on the doctor's face. Mina did not seem surprised to see magic happen in front of her.

'I did see you light up, yes,' Adison observed.

'That is sight. Try look around you with those eyes, and you will probably see green lines running to

green balls. We call them ley-lines and nodes, they contain raw magic power. Don't touch them without someone present who knows magic, they can be dangerous.'

She checked Adison's power and found her in possession of an impressive stash of personal power. 'I'm amazed you have been able to develop so much power without guidance.'

'Oh, but I had guidance, I studied under a Chinese master,' Adison said, 'but apparently they work intuitively, whereas your tradition works scientifically. Still I want to learn, we're not in China, and if mages exists, we need to be able to spot them in time. We've been fighting blind for more than a year.'

Adison decided they had talked enough, they needed to think this over first, then get more information, preferably with Vincent present.

She offered: 'Let me show you the practice, we've only just had it built, we used to make house calls only, but it was a little dangerous at times.'

As they entered the practice, Melissa was amazed at its simplicity. There were cupboards with drawers, all marked in a neat hand. And a long table for a patient to lie on. And a desk with a chair for the doctor to sit down and write or draw.

There was a little sink, and a tap, but apparently no hot water. That would be very handy though, hot water could be used to clean a lot of things, and Melissa suspected they had a lot of rich patients, well able to afford a practice with the latest innovations.

'Thank you for showing me, it looks very professional, it must make things a lot easier for you.'

'It does, we used to spend hours walking around in the city, and especially in the dark that wasn't always safe. Which is why we learned how to defend ourselves.'

Melissa nodded, if she hadn't discovered magic, she would have wanted to learn how to fence or shoot.

'Shall we check on the boiler?' she said, 'it is possible they are done.'

And they were, everything had been installed and checked for leaks. Paul had filled up the chute, and was at that very moment using magic to light it evenly.

'Is he doing it? Are you using magic right now?' Adison asked intently.

Looking caught, Paul admitted: 'I am, it is so much faster than using tinder and matches. So you've discovered sight, that is good. I guess Melissa has told you not to touch the ley-lines, the green lines? They're dangerous, you need guidance to do that. Will you get the rest? I'm going to explain how to work this baby.'

And as everyone gathered around, Paul explained how to stoke the boiler, and how to keep it filled with water, how to check the pressure. 'It will take an hour to heat up, but it can stay lighted day and night, even in summer, on the same amount of coal you'd use to stoke that beast once a week.'

They went into the kitchen, where Victor paid Paul, and mentioned a very low price for the old boiler, to be delivered to their door. Paul objected: 'That is too little, Victor, that bronze is worth a lot more. I can afford a fair price, I could hook your kitchen up to the boiler for what it is worth, and make a profit as well.'

'Done,' Victor said, 'you pay for the delivery of that beast, and if we decide to do the kitchen and the practice, you do the kitchen for free and we'll pay for the practice.'

They shook hands on that, and they left their address and a very modest payment for the delivery, and Paul urged Victor to send word if something didn't work as it should.

Then they took leave and unlocked their bicycles, and Melissa saw instant comprehension in Adison's eyes, that was the way of the future, fast and simple, no stables, no manure.

Victor looked positively envious, he was going to buy a bicycle within the year, Melissa was sure of that.

They took a different road back, and got lost in one of the most dismal neighbourhoods they had ever seen. It was a cramped quarter, with row upon row of cheap brick houses, tiny structures with holes for windows and little gardens filled with trash, some of the gardens even had hovels in them that people clearly lived in.

There were no roads, just muddy tracks that smelled of refuse and human waste, and there were ragged children everywhere, begging or just sitting in the few dry spots, on this cold afternoon. They clearly had nowhere to go. Besides being muddy and stinky, the path was covered in trash, they had to force the bicycles through it, and Melissa had a stun-bolt ready all the time.

Finally Paul gave a boy a few pennies to lead them out, and the boy readily did. As they crossed the river over a solid stone bridge to a part of town they knew, he handed the boy a few more pennies, and told him to share those with his family.

They hoped he would manage to hold on to them.

Lukas was distraught, he probably felt pain and despair from every corner of that place, and when they got home he wanted to sit with Melissa, his head in her bosom. She stroked him softly, whilst Paul prepared a quick dinner.

After ten minutes of quiet loving, Lukas asked: 'Do I detach that?'

Melissa answered: 'Yes, Lukas, remember what you told me my father said? If you don't, you'll go mad, and they'll have lost their only chance at medical attention. You need to be happy to do them any good.

Maybe we should go to that guy's show, I think he may be a good actor and it will be fun.

And we will all accompany you on regular trips to that neighbourhood, and you can find a few people to heal each time, carefully detaching yourself from their pain afterwards, to stay sane, and useful to them.

And you can always think of the baby, Lukas.'

That got a smile out of him, and then Paul said that dinner was ready. Food always made Lukas happy, and as they sat at the table he said laughing: 'That little girl just now, she could hardly talk, yet she asked me: Are you a man?

That is when I checked her for talent. Do you think I was wrong to tell them?'

'No Lukas, it was a dangerous thing to do, but that little girl had been in danger before, no doubt because of her talent,' Melissa replied.

Paul nodded, and observed: 'They will not tell anyone, they have too many secrets themselves. The pale man, he was something very strange, and the large blonde woman as well, she seemed put together all wrong. It was a miracle she could live.'

Here, Lukas contradicted him, saying: 'Actually, Paul, it was not. She did not live, she had no pulse,

she was a dead person walking. How I'd love to have a really good look at her. Some of the sailors used to tell stories about undead people drinking other people's blood, they called them Varkolak. Maybe this woman drinks blood too.'

'That is very scary, Lukas, a dead person walking,' Paul observed, then laughed and said 'you know people here still think that if you scare a pregnant woman she will have an ugly baby, so be warned. Whatever that lady is, her man is very generous, for that boiler contains so much bronze of an excellent quality, I will not have to buy any for months.

And I will do my very best to help them protect that girl, she was cute. What did you tell her anyway, when she asked you that question?'

'I couldn't lie to her,' Lukas said, 'so I admitted I wasn't exactly, and asked her to not tell anyone. I also promised to tell her what I was if we had the time, which we hadn't. But she's probably forgotten by now, and even if she does tell her parents, they have an undead woman living with them, so what do they care?'

It had been a weird afternoon, but very profitable, and kind of entertaining, so they didn't make much of it. Paul did hope they'd deliver the boiler as promised, he usually trusted people and had not been disappointed yet.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

And indeed, a few days later they were hard at work in the workshop when there was a knock on the door. Lukas opened it and found the strange-looking actor and his blonde lady standing in front of it.

He said: 'We've thought we might bring the boiler as well, I suppose you'll need help to lift that brute inside.' And he pointed behind him, where a Chinese man was keeping an eye on a mule-cart, laden with the large boiler.

Lukas called Paul, and together they decided where to put the monster, out of the way, though they could melt it to smaller pieces quite easily with their newly found magic skills. Then they lifted the thing together, the guys realizing the other man only let them help to look less conspicuous. One man lifting that massive thing would be a sight no-one in the street would forget, better not give suspicion a breeding ground.

The Chinese man had unhitched the mule and tied it to a fence-post, but Lukas offered to put it in the back-yard to graze, and he accepted with a grin. He introduced himself as Bruce, and said: 'I'm not going to let Vincent try out a whole new kind of sword all by himself, but I cannot let the mule wander either, my dad would kill me. Or try to.'

Lukas took an instant liking to this fellow, he had always heard the Chinese in London were close-knit, but Bruce had very easy manners. He invited him into the workshop, where Adison was looking around in wonder, and Vincent was looking over the swords Paul and Lukas had made together.

Lukas thought they were beautiful, and Vincent clearly thought so too, but as fighter it was not the beauty of a sword that mattered. Bruce introduced himself to Paul and Melissa, too, and was handed one of the swords by his friend.

Vincent observed: 'I've felt free to invite a friend, for if we're to try these weapons it is best to have a real opponent. Do you have a space that is a bit higher, maybe?'

As they all looked up, Lukas thought the workshop was high enough to spar in, but Paul offered his living-room, somehow certain that these guys would not damage the panelling. It was clear Paul was looking forward to seeing a good fight with their beautiful handiwork.

Taking the swords upstairs, Adison said: 'The boiler is working perfectly, Paul, and Lukas of course. And I am under orders of Victor to ask what one of those vehicles you used will cost him, bicycles he says they are called. You'll want one too, Vincent, it's a long way to St James', and it would pay itself back within six months. Wait until you see it.'

Paul opened the door to his apartment, and all three of their guests uttered the expected gasps of surprise and admiration on beholding the little palace.

Adison took her time admiring everything, but the men were clearly eager to try those swords, they had no time to spend on perfect beauty unless it was that of the weapon in their hands.

Helping Paul to push the furniture to the lower part of the room, Lukas saw both men warm up from the corner of his eye.

Then they stood opposite one another, and exchange a greeting, clearly a well-established ritual amongst English swordsmen. Suddenly, Vincent lunged at Bruce with lightning speed, and the reason for wanting a higher space to fight in became clear, for the Chinese man seemed to fly away from the sword, landing a few feet behind from where he started.

But the goal of their spar was to try the swords, so Bruce immediately retaliated, attacking the larger man heads-on, and Vincent caught the blow on the sword. Steel rang on steel, and an exchange of blows resulted, that left Lukas wondering if it was safe for these fighters to spar without protective clothing.

He heard Adison say: 'They always spar without, they say if they can't keep from getting hurt they're not much of a swordsman. Something doesn't ring true in that statement, but since they never really hurt each other we leave it that way.'

Galan had been impressive, but this was a wholly different level of sword-play. Paul was thrilled to see their work put to such good use, and at the same time he was really glad he was not standing on the wrong side of these guys' swords.

The pale man exceeded his expectation of speed and strength, and he knew the man was holding back strength, for if he were to unleash all his strength the other guy would only have his agility to save him. Paul supposed Vincent did have to use all his speed to keep Bruce on his toes, for the Chinese man moved like lightning

Blades tested, they put on an acrobatics show with swords, using the stairs to land on, and only refraining from using the chandelier out of politeness, Paul guessed, for he knew they'd trust his craft to know it would be well-secured to the ceiling.

After half an hour of intense enjoyment, the men greeted again, and inspected the blades for damage. There was none, of course, and the edges were still keen.

'That was great fun, Bruce,' Vincent observed, 'we should spar more often.'

'I'm sure you think so, friend,' Bruce replied, 'but to me this is getting hard work. You're better than me, if this was for real I'd be a dead man. You're holding back.

I wonder if I can still beat you unarmed, I hope so. Though every master wants one pupil to eclipse him, and you're mine. But this sword, it is unmatched. How was yours?'

'Outstanding, I've never held a better either, the balance is somehow different, and it is lighter than usual. You told me it is steel, crafts-master?'

Paul answered proudly: 'It is, I've found a way to make steel in small quantities, and it has more regularity inside than the usual iron that blades are made of. It will keep the edge longer and it won't break.'

'But the main question is, how did you know how to balance a sword at all, let alone a tiny bit differently, so that it fits our specific style so much better than the usual?' That man really was an actor, his face was incredibly expressive, and right now it showed astonishment.

'I designed it together with a swordsman, also a smith, who uses a style much like yours. The rest is coincidence.'

The actor laughed with an edge of sarcasm, and observed: 'I don't know if I believe in coincidence anymore, still, I want this sword, and I want Victor to have one, too.'

'Not this one, for this one is mine,' Bruce said, 'who'd have thought I'd ever own a sword.'

'All right then, what if I buy this one, and order one extra, slightly longer and slightly heavier, I'd like it even better then, I think. How long would that take to make?'

Paul thought of the commissions they had in the running, and estimated: 'I guess I can have it ready in a week, depending on the ornamentation.'

'Done, I'll have those two then, I will pay what you ask, this sword is worth it.'

Bruce interjected: 'But I want to know how much it will set me back, I am not the lead player of the company, I've only a tiny salary.'

Of course Paul had set a price on the swords already, counting the cost of the material and the hours they had put into making them, plus a little something for exclusivity, but he suspected it would be a very reasonable price. The material was much cheaper after all, since he didn't have to buy expensive steel but could make do with cheap pig-iron. And working iron with magic was a much faster process, saving on working hours.

He mentioned the price to Bruce, who looked positively happy, as Vincent exclaimed: 'That is way too cheap for such quality! I know Bruce has a large family to keep, but I'm not going to let you murder your own business. You need to ask at least double that, that is the normal price for a sword of that quality.'

Having expected this, Paul explained: 'I value your honesty, Vincent, but we will make money on the swords. Besides, you have already brought me some good business, buying a boiler. The doctor has given me a lot of good bronze at a very good price, and you have saved me the hire of a few strong men to take it inside.

Plus, I'm going to let you try a bicycle later, and you will want one, and those are a lot of work and they will cost you very, very dearly. So please take the swords for the price I ask. Throw in a set of free tickets to your show to relieve your conscience.'

The large man gave in, and said: 'All right, you win. You know best, it's your craft. But promise me to raise the price substantially for your next customers, or no-one will believe their quality. And I'll get you the tickets, do you have many friends?'

'I do have quite some friends,' Paul realized, and of course he had no problem promising to raise the price to what was normal, and they proceeded to the cellar to view the heart of Paul's boiler system, the large boiler that could be stoked.

Adison noted the coolness of the room, and Paul admitted to using magic to keep the heat in the boiler. She asked: 'But isn't that dangerous, couldn't it get too hot and explode?'

Impressed by her insight, he explained the safety mechanism, which she understood immediately, again impressing Paul, not many did. Not many wanted to know in the first place. Melissa of course, but she was an engineer, she understood physics better than Paul did.

They proceeded to the kitchen, with the beautifully ornamented boiler with the tap for hot water, then to the bathroom. That got a few gasps at its opulence, and Paul demonstrated the taps. Next was their bedroom, heated by the pipes running through it, and Paul explained that in summer he put a spell on them to keep the heat in and save fuel. Last stop was the apartment with its shower.

Their guests really saw the advantages of the system, despite the initial cost of the whole thing. Adison clearly wanted one of those taps in her practice, and not stoking furnaces all day would be such a bonus, too.

Then they went outside, and Melissa and Lukas demonstrated the bicycles, after which they all tried one. Bruce and Vincent were natural athletes and just cycled off, and Adison wasn't clumsy, but just a bit too small for this size bicycle. Still she managed to cycle enough to see the advantage of the vehicle.

'It has given me total freedom, I ride it all over town to inspection sites, even totally by myself,' Melissa said.

'Aren't you afraid to be waylaid?' Vincent asked, observing her very feminine figure on the bicycle, 'there are a lot of neighbourhoods where a lady on her own would be harassed even on foot.'

'I may not be a sword-fighter like you two, but I can defend myself quite readily,' Melissa simply answered.

'Let me guess,' Vincent said mildly, 'you use magic. Am I right?'

She nodded, and said: 'I could stun even you in an instant, and without sight you wouldn't see it coming.'

'But Adison would?'

Melissa nodded, and added: 'You have talent, though your body is taking all the power, but you may have sight as well. You can test it out of view, we'll show you some magic. But not out in the open.

There is much to tell you, if you want to be safe from magic-users, maybe too much, seeing how busy you are already.'

Melissa thought of the hours she had spent reading and practising, but of course one didn't become a doctor out of the blue either, and actors must do a lot of reading and memorizing too.

They put away the bicycles and went back into the workshop through the back door. Once there, Melissa shaped the fireball again, and Vincent did see her do it.

'Now look at one another,' Lukas advised, and they did, nodding as they saw the other's talent for all their enemies to see.

They went back to the living-room and talked about magic for almost an hour, enjoying a cup of coffee or tea and some chocolates along with it.

After that hour they had arranged to exchange lessons, magic for fencing, and Paul had measured Vincent to make the new sword exactly the right size.

After that their visitors harnessed the mule, and they took leave in great spirits, having had a taste of the future.

Paul was delighted as well, having sold three swords to the best swordsmen imaginable, a fact which seemed to amuse Lukas to no end: 'Don't expect them to make good advertising for your swords, Paul.'

Absently, Paul replied: 'How so, Lukas, good swordsmen are the best possible promotion, aren't they?'

'Of course not, my dearest, everyone foolish enough to face them wielding those swords will be dead seconds later.'

Paul cuffed him playfully, something Lukas could now see for what it was, and said: 'Better think of a way to melt that monster to a decent size. Think of the trouble we'd have had trying to move that ourselves.'

'Speak for yourself, Paul, I can lift that easily,' Lukas said. And to prove it he lifted the beast, lighting up at the same time of course, but he did make his point.

Paul said regretfully: 'Not even two months back from Greece, and I've already forgotten that one can use magic for the most trivial purposes. Though not so trivial, for in the future you will undoubtedly save us a world of trouble by remembering.'

'Still, we'd better melt it to bars, like the pig-iron, that'll be easy to store,' Lukas said, 'maybe we can even make bar-sized moulds to make them a certain weight.'

'You may be the best healer ever, Lukas,' Paul observed proudly, 'you're no mean craftsman either.'

The following months went by even quicker, for they were incredibly busy. Hermes had gone back to his own world, after a two weeks' stay, and neither he nor George were inconsolable this time, for they knew they could see each other any time they wanted to. A weekend together at the villa was not impossible at all.

Besides teaching Jonathan, Paul now had up to five extra magic-students, for Bruce would often join the doctor's party, and a set of fencing-lessons afterwards. Lukas and Melissa did their share of teaching and joined him in the fencing of course, and Jonathan sometimes accompanied them, for both magic and fencing.

Bruce sat in on the lessons to show Master Man this new approach to an old art. He often taught as well, unarmed combat, but also fencing, for his agility was second to none, and especially Lukas showed a lot of aptitude in that direction. With his springy legs he soon mastered some of the impressive jumps, and he was becoming difficult to hit.

Of course that meant he could not hide his differences, which he did not feel the need to, for he never met a collection of weirder individuals than was gathered in that one middle-class house in London. He showed little Catherine as well, and like most children she took everything in stride.

One evening, they dressed up and visited the show that Vincent and Bruce played in. They went with a large group, the entire Nomes-family, Jonathan, Tristan, Sofia, and they went in two carriages, saving themselves a long ride on the bicycles.

They had a great time, enjoying the play to no end, even Paul had never seen anything like it, the show was one big, bloody drama, and in the end everybody died, except the lead couple, Vincent and a pretty young actress.

After the show they praised their new friends for their superb performance, then resisted the temptation to go to a dance afterwards, but Bertha was really too young to be exposed to such licentiousness. They'd go some other time, and take Sofia with them.

And business was still thriving, the taps had been installed in the doctor's house, and the cold weather stimulated other people to do the same. Bicycles were in great demand, the doctor had ordered two, not even blanching at the price, he really had rich customers. And Adison had ordered a normal size and a smaller one, which they didn't charge her extra for, despite having to make new moulds for some parts.

But Paul expected to have more demand for smaller bicycles, so he just saw the extra time spent as an investment in the future, and he turned out to be right.

The greenhouses were taking shape, and Melissa was very busy keeping a close eye on her own design. She was growing steadily, and with her busy schedule she could occasionally be over-tired and waspish, snapping at the guys, and crying for no reason at all.

But all in all she was rather happy, blooming instead of wilting under the changes in her body. She liked to practice fencing, and a more quiet martial arts that Bruce called Tai-Chi, which could soothe her instantly. Of course she had never been fast, and she never would be, but the practice kept her in shape and she did not get as fat nor as lazy as she had feared.

The responsibilities of her work kept her on her toes mentally, and the steady support of her men, her family and especially Ilsa's happy-go-lucky attitude towards her own pregnancy kept Melissa positive. Ilsa was now married and living with Tristan in his town-house, but she was at her parents' house as often as Tristan used to be.

Lukas regularly went out to heal and support the less fortunate. George most often accompanied him, but Jonathan, Paul and Melissa also took their turns. Tristan went a few times, but he had to be really careful not to be recognized, which he was becoming quite adept in.

Winter progressed, and this developed into a really cold one, with snow covering the streets most of the time, and freezing temperatures making life hell for those in the streets.

With his well-prepared clothing, Lukas weathered the cold better than expected, and Melissa suspected that being physically active in the company of men who could seriously challenge even his speed, had helped him a great deal.

Any time Lukas came back home from one of his healing expeditions a little depressed, he used to sit in one of their laps with his head on their chest, but nowadays he'd find Melissa's lap filled up with her belly, and his mood would change instantly as he'd sit or lie next to her and feel her belly for signs of life.

Her occasional waspish moods hit him hard, though she tried to always be patient with him when he was agonized by the suffering he felt all around him. Paul just ignored her moods, soothing her into better spirits by cuddling her or by just leaving her alone when she needed that.

But Lukas always needed her confirmation that she still loved him, and sometimes that was hard to give when her own moods oppressed her. Usually Paul was present to help Lukas accept that she was not as stable as usual, to just to let her be for half an hour, and find the affection and the support he needed with his bossy lover, and though it was still hard for him, Lukas accepted that.

The constant healings did take their toll, for they never got to see the older Lukas anymore, he was always the slightly needy youth around them.

Then one day it went totally wrong. Paul was out, and Melissa was feeling irritated, she slept badly because she had to go to the privy all the time, and both men were getting way too careful around her when making love.

She felt like she had been pregnant for an eternity, and she knew there was still an eternity to go, and it would not be getting any easier. She felt like breaking something, and when Lukas came home after an especially difficult afternoon of witnessing several children in the last stages of a wasting flu, she was not up to soothing him.

He wanted to cuddle her, be held, but his touch irritated her, and his submissive reaction to her peevishness provoked her even more. She was sorry even as she felt herself react, but she couldn't stop lashing out with words, also pushing him away physically.

'Not now, Lukas, don't touch me.'

She saw him stagger as if she had hit him, but she was helpless to do anything about it, she could not find the mental strength in herself to go after him as he ran upstairs. The only thing to do was to sit on the sofa and cry her eyes out, hoping Paul would come back and sort things out.

But Paul didn't come, and she got so tired, and worried about Lukas. Still, something in her remained stubborn and irritable, and provoked by his meekness.

Upstairs, Lukas had buried himself under the blankets, and he was also crying his eyes out, feeling rejected, as if the love of his live had hit him in the face and told him to get out of her life.

When after fifteen minutes she had not come after him, he felt his spirits sink even lower. She really didn't care, had probably never even cared.

She would kick him out, and hate his baby for not being Paul's.

And when his unstable mind had brought him as low as it could, he started to think. He could match Dionysus with his pathos, he might ask for a job at that theatre with his melodramatic abilities, he had promised Melissa to support her in a pregnancy she hadn't asked for, had promised not to let the suffering of others get to him.

And he had let her down, for weeks he had not supported her, but had let her support him. He was supposed to detach himself from the misery he witnessed, and instead, he had let it take him over completely, burdening a pregnant woman with his grief.

As Paul had once said when Melissa broke down because they had both overburdened her with their own troubles, no more. This time he would rise to the challenge and do what he had promised.

It was the work of an instant to detach himself from the scene that had upset him today, and whilst he was at it, he detached himself from weeks of similar experiences, taking another few instants.

Then he went downstairs, not hesitantly, but with decision, and got a glass of water from the kitchen.

Melissa was lying on the sofa, totally worn out, seemingly asleep, dark rings under her eyes, her beautiful copper hair mussed up, her big belly making her seem even more vulnerable. Lukas did not let his remorse and shock at the state of her overcome him, he did what he had to do.

She did not react as he sat next to her, and for a moment he felt real fear of having driven her over some edge of reason.

But as he touched her, she opened her eyes, red with crying, and looked at him. She did not really see him, but when he offered her the water she took it and drank eagerly.

She looked at him again, and this time she really saw him, and a great relief brought tears to her eyes again, but this time happy tears. He took the glass and put it on the table, then took her in his arms really tenderly, and whispered: 'I'm so incredibly sorry, my love, can you forgive me?'

'Just hold me, Lukas, please. I'm so sorry too, I just cracked I guess.'

She was so incredibly relieved to see this Lukas, the quiet, older man, who had given her the belief she could do this, carry his child and be a mother to it. She needed him so much, needed his faith in her, his arms around her.

'Please lower your shield, love, so we can talk without speaking. I'm too worn out to say anything.'

He did, and she started to cry again, quietly, her feelings overflowing, needing the release of a good cry in the arms of a strong partner, nothing more.

They sat together forever, and finally Paul came home and all was well again.

From that moment on, Lukas took great care to not take his grief over the things he witnessed in the poor quarter home with him. He had been given the detachment to make his Gift bearable, and he used it every time before he went home.

But Melissa was still a strong woman, and she even accompanied him on his quest once a week, without having the ability to detach herself. She took the things she saw in stride, and if they hurt her she let him take them away, for neither of them would be able to last long if he didn't.

All in all the months went by really satisfactorily. Christmas came and went, with a fabulous party at the manor, of course, and the days got longer, making Lukas feel more awake somehow, though the cold intensified.

At the manor they usually played in the snow with Lucy and Bertha and the two headed dog, now a rather fearsome looking adult but still as meek as a lamb. Lucy had named him Percy, and somehow that ludicrous name fitted him like a snug leather glove.

As long as the snow was packed tight on the roads they found the bicycles still very useful, though both men now started to worry about letting Melissa cycle on such a slippery surface with her large belly, the risk of falling too large in their opinion. But neither of them was going to try to forbid her anything, that would be the end of the peace in their household, for her temper ran very short when feeling cosseted or patronized.

George and Frances had taken to having them fetched by carriage when there was something to do at the manor, but they still kept up their fencing and magic lessons at the doctor's place, and that was half an hour's ride.

But they were practising by themselves mostly, only taking a lesson once every two weeks, same thing with the magic, reading and practising had taken over from constant instruction, and Adison had suggested alternating their meeting place, hiring a cab once every month being very affordable as long as the snow lasted.

One evening as they were sitting together quietly, talking a little and touching a little, Melissa felt the first flutter of movement from their baby. It was too small to let the guys feel it from the outside, but with their mutual abilities she could let them feel it as she felt it.

It was a very special moment, and it brought them close together, they were in each others presence most of the time, but they were usually very busy, not really spending time on each other consciously. It was such a special feeling that they took care to repeat it often, taking a few moments of quiet every night to offset their busy lives.

January passed, as did February, and spring became a thing to look forward to instead of a memory of a time long past, when Melissa had visited a flea-market and bought a paper-maché piece of folk-art, walking beside her landlord, wishing him to finally start seeing her as a woman.

Even Paul swallowed a few tears as Melissa pictured that memory, of the day that both Melissa and Paul admitted to being physically attracted to the other, and Lukas came into their lives with a crash, and not a stitch on him.

Being very busy did not mean they did not take the time to make love often and intensely, for Melissa's fear of turning into a sexless creature had proved totally unfounded. Her appetite had not diminished a bit, and they spent a lot of long, dark hours exploring the pleasures of the flesh.

In the evening, Melissa often found herself drowsing and feeling the movement of their baby, but as soon as she was touched with the slightest heat, hers rose to match.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

March was upon them, with the promise of spring, but Lukas did not find the need for his abilities diminished in any way. Out on his own one afternoon, he found himself in that awful neighbourhood close to the doctor's house.

Having thought their own adjoining neighbourhood rather run-down, Lukas had been forced to review that opinion when he had crossed this one with Paul and Melissa that day they installed the boiler at the doctor's practice.

As they returned on their bicycles they had gotten lost and ended up here, and Paul had convinced him to pay some attention to the situation for future visits. Lukas had taken his advice more seriously than Paul knew, for Lukas had often returned on his morning runs to bring some food and blankets to the homeless children there, and he had told Tristan about whole families living under the bridge, hoping Tristan would use his influence on the council or his personal affluence to improve their lot.

Often he had come too late, for many people died of hunger and exposure in that severe winter, and if Lukas hadn't been forced by his duty to Melissa to detach from all the misery he saw on his lonesome haunts, he would have been raving mad with grief before one month had passed.

He always allowed himself to feel the pain and the hurt when he was over there, detaching it on his way home, and he treated as many sick as he could, leaving the severe cases and mentally disturbed ones for the times he had accompaniment.

Those visits had impact on his friends too, but even Jonathan and Melissa managed to let the good they did overrule the horrid things they saw. Lukas did keep those two from the worst parts of it, Jonathan was still so young and in a very impressionable phase of his life, but most of all, he had been through all of this himself, and though it had made him very tough indeed, it must bring back bad memories.

Melissa was a different matter, she was growing fast now, and she sometimes seemed a bit absent-minded, communicating with their child, Lukas guessed.

In simple, domestic matters that concerned only themselves, she could be very emotional all of a sudden, snapping at them or needing a lot of love and attention to be comforted over things that seemed of little importance to Paul and himself.

But in these quarters of abject poverty and injustice, she was as strong and steady as ever, helping him to cure really difficult cases that needed her ability to see through anything.

And if something really got to her, usually cases with children involved, she simply asked Lukas to detach her from it afterwards, and he did, within a few heartbeats. They could not do this work if they let the suffering get to them.

But this time, Lukas was on his own, and having cured a case of pneumonia in a child that was not totally hopeless otherwise, reasonably well-fed, and living in a home that was mostly air- and watertight, and he decided to return home before dark.

He was never afraid in the streets on his own, because no-one ever saw him, he still had his former ability to stay unseen but he could use it even more consciously now, and he had never yet been spotted when he didn't want to be.

Crossing the river by the large stone bridge, he spotted a dark shape huddled in one of the recesses of the massive structure. It seemed to be wrapped in a blanket, but though it was already March, the temperatures were still below freezing, and Lukas wanted to make sure the poor creature in front of him was not dying of cold or starvation. Lukas knew of a dozen churches or other places where he could bring a destitute Londoner for a warm night and a meal or two.

He walked towards the figure really quietly, wanting to assess his condition in secret, no use disturbing someone who was sound asleep and in no direct danger of dying, in his months in London he had already learned to choose carefully whom to help, for there were too many to help them all.

As he approached the shape, it sat up, revealing a haggard, emaciated man of around thirty, with tangled hair, a fresh bruise on his cheek and dark rings under his eyes. The man seemed to feel Lukas' presence, which indicated he must have some innate talent, and he obviously did not expect anything good to come from someone sneaking up on him.

Instead of offering defence, the figure cringed, and Lukas' heart nearly broke seeing so much fear in what seemed to be a reasonably healthy person. Reasonably healthy was usually a cue to leave a person alone, and despite his guilt to leave another human being in the street at freezing temperatures, a winter in the city had hardened even Lukas to the extent that he now changed his course to resume his way home.

As he put distance between himself and the homeless man, he heard a weak voice call out: 'Lykos, is that you?'

He stopped in his tracks, stunned to hear his Greek name spoken by a haggard man in the underbelly of Victorian London, though spoken in a heavy London accent.

'Lykos, please, don't go!' The voice was stronger now, and shaking with emotion.

What could he do but turn around and see who it was that knew his name? As he approached, the man suppressed a desire to run or hide, and looked him straight in the eye. 'Don't you recognize me? I don't wonder, I've changed a lot. You haven't changed a bit, though, you look fine, strong and powerful, I'm glad to see that.'

Totally without clue, Lukas studied the man's ravaged face for a trace of resemblance to someone he knew, but his mind did not supply a name, or even a circumstance in which he could have known this person.

'Never mind,' the other said, 'I wouldn't recognize myself, and I'm the last person you'd expect to find here, you probably think I'm dead, executed by your father and his sister.'

'Dionysus? Is it you? In London?' Lukas just couldn't believe that, his father had told him his old friend was working on his rehabilitation.

'If anyone ever speaks to me here, they call me John,' the gaunt man observed dryly, 'but they usually don't speak. They just grunt their satisfaction, or hit me. The ladies were nicer, but what lady would want me like this?'

The figure, still sitting under his threadbare blanket, did indeed look like something a lady would never touch, filthy and haggard, though if it was indeed Dionysus, that was her loss, for his reputation as a lover was only second to Lukas' own.

'Dionysus, is that really you?'

'Yes, Lykos, it is really me. Your aunt convinced the other gods to give me one last chance to better myself instead of letting Hera kill me outright, told me you had begged her to speak up for me. They blocked my magic and your father left me here. Well, not here, in a better neighbourhood, I've come upon hard times.'

Stepping even closer, Lukas took a good hard look and saw something of the man he had once known and loved in the wretched shade of a man before him. Dionysus had been young and fat, this man was skin over bone, and older, but the resemblance was there.

The way he reached out for Lukas was also very familiar, and as he touched his mind he knew for sure, his old friend had been punished by dumping him in Victorian London, with no magic, and no skills to make a living, in the middle of winter!

As Lukas kneeled before him and took him in his arms with a cry of anguish, John said with horror: 'Don't touch me Lykos, I'm filthy!'

'You're also very cold, and hurt, and in sore need of love. How could they do this to you? I begged my aunt to spare your life and to give you a chance to redeem yourself, but I didn't mean they should let you starve to death slowly, beaten, and from the look of you, abused as well, in misery and in the cold. That is much worse than outright killing!'

He stood up and tried to get his former master to stand up, but the poor man was in a much worse condition than he had seemed to be, he just couldn't manage.

'I'm sorry Lykos, I can't do it. I haven't eaten in days, and nobody wants me anymore, not even the men, so I have no power left either. I'm already starting to age, and soon death will finally release me. It will be a blessing.'

John's voice was thick with emotion, and tears were leaving tracks in the dirt on his face.

'I'm glad to have seen you once more, Lykos, and in good health. Will you hold me a little longer? You were always my favourite, I'm so sorry I treated you so badly. I'd like to die in your arms, but I suppose I'm good for a few more days, and you have better things to do.'

'You haven't lost your pathos at least, John. I call myself Lukas here, you'll have to get used to that. I'm not leaving you here to die, you're coming with me. Why didn't you look for me?'

Lukas supposed that with his old friend so emaciated he could probably carry him all over town, but first he was going to warm him a little and give him some much needed love.

'Your father said I couldn't, I had to prove I was worth something by myself. I guess I failed. And have you any idea how big this city is? Anyway, at first I did rather well, pleasing rich ladies and getting paid in cash and the power to keep me handsome and young.

But their husbands found out, and I didn't know it was not allowed to share, so I got beaten and didn't dare to stay in that neighbourhood anymore. The watch was looking for me.

Then there were the rich men, but that also stopped after a time. Then other men, they beat me a lot but I still got my love and some food. And now I'm too skinny and too afraid to get my love that way, and too filthy.

You're sweet, to hold me like that, and so nice and warm. I can't come with you, your mortals hate me. They'd beat me too. I don't want to be beaten again, I just want to not be hungry and not in pain anymore.'

'John, you're delusional. Just stop talking, and let me give you some strength.'

Lukas didn't hesitate to kiss the emaciated, dirty face of the man he once loved, and he filled up his reserves as far as they still could be filled, which was not a lot, but enough to keep him alive, and keep him from ageing even further.

That kiss made John cry, the love it contained, and the forgiveness it signified, he had longed for both so much, but he knew he didn't deserve either. Maybe he could have built a life for himself in London, but something in him had always told him he had no right to be happy, had no right to live. It was a miracle he had lasted this long, and an ever greater one that Lukas had found him before it was too late.

With the energy Lukas had given him, John managed to reach their safe home, and Lukas prepared himself to talk fast to have Paul and Melissa allow him to take his former nemesis inside it. For Lukas did not think they would be ready to forgive Dionysus his misdeeds, though they admired Lukas for being able to.

He opened the door and tried to get John to climb the stairs. But the haggard tramp was very much afraid to go inside, he was still a bit delusional and convinced he would be kicked out again with violence.

Paul came out of the workshop to see what the ruckus was all about, followed by Melissa. As John saw their well-known faces, showing their surprise at Lukas turning up with a ragged beggar on his shoulders, he tried to run for it. He managed two large leaps, and then he fell flat on his face, physically and mentally exhausted.

Paul did not kiss Lukas out in the street, but he did put an arm on his shoulder, as Lukas kneeled beside the man lying on the pavement. 'I found him on the stone bridge, dying of exposure, and since I once loved him very much I took him home with me, to save him. But he is very afraid you will beat him if he comes into our house.'

'Why would we harm a helpless man?' asked Paul, not understanding of course.

'Paul, Melissa, please meet John. We all knew him in Greece under a different name.'

As Lukas managed to get John to sit, and was holding on to him firmly to keep him from trying to get away again, he saw comprehension dawn on Melissa.

'Dionysus! You poor man, who did this to you?'

She sat beside him, not easy with her distended belly, and she stroked his filthy hair and his ravaged face. 'Come, let's get you cleaned up and fed, and your wounds looked at, and then you can either sleep safely or talk to us. Your father must have dumped him here when he visited, Lukas, but why? That is just plain cruel.'

But John did not feel safe at all, for there was still the artist, whom he had wronged beyond imagination, and anyway, the husbands were usually the ones who beat him. Paul noticed of course, and though he had originally thought Dionysus deserved punishment for what he had done to all of them, this was incomprehensible. What use did it have to humiliate and starve someone, how would that make him a better person?

'You have nothing to fear from me, John,' he spoke, carefully coming closer to the ragged man and holding out his hands in an offering of peace. 'I forgave you months ago, and Lukas has forgiven you for your crimes against him. Besides, it looks like you've paid many times over, you look near death. Come, let us take care of you.'

And Paul lifted him up the stairs, whilst Lukas prepared the bed in the apartment for him, and some clean clothes. Then they helped him out of his rags, and Lukas put him under the shower to give him a good scrubbing, whilst Paul and Melissa got a little bit of easily digestible food for him and a pair of scissors.

Still naked but totally clean, he sat down to a moderate meal whilst Paul cut his tangled hair at shoulder length and Melissa carefully looked over his wounds.

He had no beard to shave. The wounds were not serious, so Melissa left them uncovered, the main problem with John was emaciation, and the lack of power to stop him from ageing

A totally different name for him was fitting, for he was a totally different person, only the folds of loose skin hanging down where his belly had been reminded of the old Dionysus.

In a clean shirt, with his stomach filled as much as they dared, a privy and a warm bed at hand, Paul and Melissa went back to the workshop to finish their project before it got too dark, and Lukas stayed behind to watch his friend fall asleep.

'Sleep now, old friend, and when you wake there will be more food and you can tell us all that happened. Do you trust my loved ones now to offer you no harm?'

Lying in the soft bed, covered with a thick duvet, and with a loving friend beside him, John dared finally relax, as Lukas stroked his hair and his face to give him some of the love he so desperately needed.

'Lukas, I love you,' were his last words before he fell into a deep, deep sleep.

When it was clear he was not going to wake for some time, Lukas went downstairs and silently fell into Melissa's waiting arms. Paul wrapped both of them in his, and together they tried to understand why Lukas' family had visited this cruel punishment upon one of their own.

'Another week, and he would have been dead, and no-one would have known. He would have just disappeared from the face of the earth. Why? And how come I found him just in time?'

'Lukas, are you certain he will not betray you again?' Paul asked worriedly, ' I'd hate to see you get duped again.'

'Whom would he betray me to? He has got nothing and no-one left. He could so easily have died there, and I would never have known.' Lukas seemed thankful to have his former friend under his wings.

'I'm glad this happened, I'm not glad he's in such bad shape of course, but I'm glad we'll have a chance to make up. Maybe suffering will change him as much as it did my father. But if he poses any danger to you, I will personally see him removed from our house.

If he is not, I hope to teach him how to take care of himself, and respect other people.'

'A commendable goal, Lukas,' Melissa said, ' but what worries me a little is the analogy with your situation when you came to us, and with your father's: he will need a lot of love to restore him, and who is going to give that to him?'

The broad smile she got made it clear he had already thought of that, and he replied: ' We will all give him what love we can, dearest, and no more. It may take a little longer for him to recover totally, but he is easy to love, and after living destitute for half a year, he will be very happy being clean and fed, and get a hug or a cuddle instead of a beating. Don't worry love, all will be well.'

That did satisfy Melissa, and she embraced Lukas once again. He put a hand on her belly, hoping to feel the baby move inside, a tiny bit afraid she'd snap at him for being needy, he had made a point of not showing weakness anymore, but he couldn't detach his feelings for his old friend, he hoped Melissa would understand that.

'Don't be shy, love, I will try not to be catty again, but sometimes it just happens. You don't deserve that at all, you may show some need and feelings once in a while. Why don't we go upstairs and sit down together? Then you can feel my belly as long as you like, and even talk to the baby.'

Minutes later Melissa was indeed sitting on the sofa, with Paul on her one side and Lukas on the other, both a hand on her belly.

Lukas was totally absorbed by what was happening under his hand, but Paul was nibbling her ear and was soon stroking her inner legs, clearly more interested in herself than in their invisible baby. Melissa suspected that was the normal guys' attitude to babies, which made her very happy because apparently Paul still thought her very attractive.

But Lukas' intense enjoyment of her pregnancy also made her very happy, for it made her feel safe and loved as a future mother, a very scary new role she was supposed to just accept.

And that was just the worst bit, no sooner had she realized how glad she was to have these special men behind her, than she found herself weeping again, this time with joy, that she was loved so well.

Paul didn't pay attention to her mood swings anymore, he knew where they came from and assured her they would pass. But Lukas was still upset, every time she snapped at him or cried without very good reason, and he did his very best to comfort her or soothe her. That was also just perfect, someone to take her seriously, and someone to show her all would be well.

Suddenly a smile lighted Lukas' face, and he said: 'I can feel him, I really can!' He took Paul's hand and put it back on Melissa's belly, where he had just felt the movement, and now Paul showed strong feelings as well, the baby just become a lot more real to him.

'Did you feel that too, Melissa?' he asked.

'Of course I did, I feel it very distinctly, from inside as well as outside,' she replied.

Having gotten what he wanted, Lukas now got up and started on dinner, and Paul and Melissa started something else entirely. She kissed him and stroked him with heat, and he was very eager to answer her intimacies. They managed to keep it small, until Lukas called that dinner was ready.

During dinner they discussed John's case further, and after dinner they retired to bed immediately, eager to make love, and expecting to be woken by their guest somewhere in the night. Lukas had checked on him before turning in, and their exhausted guest had woken only to eat and drink a little, and cuddle a little more, then he had gone right back to sleep.

Lukas had explained to him that he might come to them in the night if he felt afraid or lonely, but that he was not invited to share love with any of them. John had accepted this with painful humility, apparently he didn't expect to have any claim on them, which for the moment was best. They would make it up to him later.

Despite her large belly, Melissa was still very eager to make love to both her lovers, and the men now entertained a comfortable closeness to one another, so much so that they could very easily make love with both of them present.

Of course Lukas still shared love often, with George, or with Sofia, and maybe some other people they didn't know. It was a fact of life Melissa and Paul had learned to accept, and sometimes Lukas told them about his exploits, and sometimes he didn't.

After making love they went to sleep in a tangle, as usual, though Melissa liked to sleep on the outside more often, because her belly was really bothering her sometimes and she felt hemmed in in the middle. Also, she needed to use the privy a lot.

So one of the guys took the middle, and she slept against whoever that was. After their Greek adventure they had become so close that it didn't really matter which of the other two they felt as they slept, during the nights they were all together, and everything was just fine.

Of course she woke up in the middle of the night, and had to use the privy again, so she did, and on impulse she decided to check on their guest, he might feel lonely or hungry again.

But he was still sleeping soundly, and by the light of the moon she could see his thin face, at peace in his sleep.

Trying to remember his misdeeds, she found it difficult already to see past the gaunt face, changed past recognition by deprivation, losing its fear and its self-reproach in sleep. To be honest, she felt her heart go out to this helpless man, her famous tender streak, enhanced by the hormones of her progressing pregnancy.

Assured he was doing well, she left John, and went back to their own bedroom, and crawled back into their own bed, nice and snug against Lukas. As she was trying to stop thinking about what John must have gone through to go from a decidedly chubby, totally bored youth to an emaciated, frightened man in his thirties, she heard footsteps on the stairs, and she heard the front door creak.

She had left it unlocked, to enable John to find them if he felt anxious. Apparently he did, and he was looking for them. As the footsteps passed the door of their bedroom, she called out softly, and immediately the door opened and their visitor came in.

She let him know she was awake, and he came to her side of the bed, cold of course, for it was only March and it was freezing outside. They liked to keep their bedchamber cold, then lie under a nice and warm duvet.

'I don't want to be alone anymore,' he practically begged, and Melissa felt very tender-hearted, she just couldn't help it, he was so pathetic.

'You may sleep against me, but I do not want to share love with you, nor can you touch me anywhere that might stimulate either you or me. Can you do that?' she asked him, rather severely.

He replied: 'I promise, I will not touch you indecently in any way, I have learned Victorian morals the hard way. I don't think I even can make love anymore, the price has been so high these last months.'

That was so sad to hear, it reminded Melissa of Paul just after he had been saved from Dionysus' niece, and she asked: 'May I touch you decently? Can you handle being held?'

He replied shyly: 'Will you please try? I feel so lonely and cold.'

Who could resist such a plea? Melissa certainly couldn't. She made a little space for John, and he quickly got under the blankets and snuggled against her. His skin-and-bones body was very close to hers, and his arms held her in innocuous places, but he did nothing indecent, and very soon he did no longer feel cold against her lush body. She carefully tried to put an arm around him, and he didn't tense or try to remove it. Warmed up and comfortable, sleep took him again, at peace for a few hours.

Melissa felt a bit worried at his total lack of flesh, how could anyone be so emaciated and still live?But he had eaten well, and he didn't seem close to death anymore, so she tried to forget her concern and just go to sleep.

She sniffed his scent, and discerned mainly the soap Lukas had used to clean him up, but that was a comfortable, well-known scent to her, so she soon fell asleep as well, not even weirded out by sharing a bed with no less than three men.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

She woke up with a sleepy John rubbing against her a little, and she seemed to feel his excitement against her thigh, but nothing worse. Somehow it felt as a relief, that he could feel heat already, it must mean his life was no longer in danger.

Being a hot-blooded person herself, with rather strong urges, she could understand his body taking over for a few moments, in that strange state between sleep and awareness. She was curious what would happen next, if his body took him too far she could always wake him.

His hands stayed exactly where they should, enjoying the feel of her soft flesh, but not feeling her up or touching her breasts or thighs. One hand rested on her tummy, and the baby reacted to it. Somehow, that gave Melissa a kind of trust in John, if her baby didn't feel any badness in him, she would feel more inclined to trust him herself. Of course her logical mind objected to that, how could an unborn baby feel someone's intent when a normal person couldn't? A baby probably didn't even have a complete brain yet, in this stage of the pregnancy.

But the feeling remained, and since Melissa had started to follow her feelings just a little more since hormones first raged through her body, she didn't deny it further.

Suddenly the shape beside her snatched his hands back and turned away from her in one quick move, curling up in an instant. Street reflexes probably, he must have woken up. She turned towards him and very gently stroked his hair.

'I couldn't help it, I was still asleep, please don't hurt me.' A muffled voice sounded from within the ball of skin and bones.

'No-one will hurt you, John. Not even if you do something wrong, but you didn't. Your body enjoyed being safe, and lying against a woman, but you controlled it and respected me. Please try to relax, I promise you will be safe.

Why don't you tell me how you got your London name, John?'

That was a good idea, distracting him. He turned to face her, looking much better already for a night's sleep and some food, and she supposed, a little love. He snuggled back against her, no hardened parts touching her now, she felt sad for him, his capacity to love damaged by the way he had tried to make a living. She wanted to help him love again, but it was just not possible, she had more than enough men to please already.

But at least his subconscious still felt excitement, and there was always Lukas to cure any trauma, though that might be a bit too intimate yet. There was a lot of old pain between those two men. Too bad John was a ladies-man, or George might have been willing.

Although George did have a very caring spouse who liked young men who spoke Greek. Though John wasn't very young anymore, he was small and slight and rather appealing, and with plenty of love he'd get his youthful look back, quickly.

An idea started to take shape in her mind, and she let it simmer there, for John dared enjoy her stroking now, leaning into it like a cat, closing his eyes in pleasure. Innocent pleasure.

After a while he spoke: 'Every time I introduced myself as Dionysus, they shortened it to Dion, and that naturally became John. So I kept the name, I wasn't a jolly, drunk god anymore anyway. I yearned for wine, and not being able to afford it, deprivation made me sick for weeks, but if I had continued my drinking I would have died long since. Being drunk when it freezes is deadly.'

Melissa pictured the god she had met in Greece, just half a year ago, and the difference in looks, but also in manners, was stunning. Except for his gauntness and haunted look, this was a normal man, not the bored and lazy creature full of pathos.

'Do you want to eat again?' she asked him.

'Yes, please!' was the logical reply.

Melissa sat up, and found Lukas already gone from the bed, probably off for a run, Paul still fast asleep. Everything was as it should be.

She dressed, and got John a woollen jumper, he would need an extra layer until he started to put on some fat.

Melissa was glad most of her skirts still fit her, being very loosely cut, but of course corsets were out of the question, they just didn't fit anymore, so she had switched to blouses. Not for the first time, she wished she had Katarina close, to order some special dresses for when she got really big, something a little more flattering than the Victorian idea of maternity clothing.

'Where's Lukas?' John asked, with something like panic in his voice.

As nonchalantly as possible, she replied: 'Off for his morning run, most likely. He always runs for an hour, to stay in shape. It makes him very happy. He usually runs by friends, who own a really large estate close to our home, with woods and grassy hills, where he doesn't have to hide his hoofs, and where he can swim naked. In summer that is, even Lukas isn't crazy enough to swim in winter. We thought he'd never get used to the cold at first.'

John nodded, he knew all about that.

'They did give me a really good coat, you know, and warm clothes. They gave me every chance to make it here, except that there is no sense of community here. In our country, I would have been taken in by someone and put to work, but here no-one cared.

Hermes probably didn't know, through my hardships I learned that gods, including myself as I used to be, are much more fallible than we like to believe, living on the edge has taught me how human we actually are. Magic wouldn't have saved me, though needing love desperately made it harder to survive.

I realize only now that your friendship feeds me as well, I thought I needed to make love to stay young. But it is much easier, and much more real this way, making love to someone I didn't care about and who didn't care about me always felt wrong but I thought I needed to do it.'

She took him to the kitchen for the food, and though he did look around with amazement, he kept following her obediently.

'Please be your own person, John. If you want to stay back a little to admire Paul's little palace, please do. Do you want coffee?'

'Art is even more rare where I was than food. Yes, I'd like to look around a lot, and I would like to try coffee, I've never had any. I wish I could go to Lukas' friends at the manor house, I haven't seen even the slightest bit of nature in months.'

He was examining the design of the cupboards, preferring to stay close to her after all. Melissa suspected he was afraid of running into Paul. Oh well, he'd get over it once he saw Paul was really very gentle, just protective. Melissa thought it was a matter of days before John would be included in Paul's protectiveness, and then he'd feel that much safer because of it.

She decided to give John a nice taste of Greece, they had found a little shop that sold really good olives and Greek-style cheese, and neither would be too rich for his stomach. Some of the bread the guys liked to bake for themselves, and coffee, completed the fare.

They sat down, and Melissa saw John try to not fall on the food, but eat it slowly. As he tasted the olives and the cheese, his eyes filled with tears, and he just let them roll down his hollow cheeks until they fell on the table. There was little pathos left in this new incarnation of the once-bored god.

He ate only a little, but it took a long time, for he savoured every morsel with intense pleasure, and some sadness too, for his lost homeland.

'Do you think I will ever see my land again?' he asked in a choked voice.

'You can go through the portal any time,' Melissa replied, and he said bitterly: 'To be a hunted exile again, a being without magic, the lowest of the low.'

'Lukas had no magic, did you see him as inferior?' Melissa managed to ask this without judgement colouring her voice.

John bowed his head, and admitted: 'His magic had not been taken from him in shame, like mine, and he was always very dear to me, but yes, I did see him as inferior for having no magic. And still he loved me, knowing I saw him as some kind of pet, not an equal partner. How much our situations have been reversed. He is very powerful, even on this world.'

'Lukas takes you very seriously, and he will help you become self-sufficient, as Paul and I helped him. And even if you can never return to your own world, you will have a good life here. But I find you a different person already, John, so all may not be lost. Did you just say 'again', were you hunted before in your own world?'

'Didn't anyone ever tell you?' he wondered, 'no, of course not, they wouldn't even know. He wouldn't have told them. Zeus is my father, too, and Hera really hates me, she tried to kill me repeatedly when I was still very small and not come into my own as a god. I ran and ran from her, until I got my powers, my own followers and worshippers and didn't need to run anymore. But she still has it in for me, she wants me killed.

Frankly, if the other gods had left me on our world with my magic blocked, I wouldn't have survived a single day, she'd have gotten me.'

'But why did you look down on Lukas when you started out as a mortal yourself? ' Melissa did not understand.

'I guess I was an arrogant piece of trash with an inferiority complex. I was so afraid of his rise to power that I betrayed everything in myself that was ever of any worth, my love for Lykos Hermeides, my nephew. That terrible crime can never be redeemed.'

Melissa had never had any patience with the Greek gods' tendency towards pathos, so she said dryly: 'I'm sure Lukas will find a way in which you can make up for it, don't worry.'

Poor John didn't have the energy to keep up his self-reproach, so he sipped his coffee instead.

But he clearly had a little trouble with the taste of coffee, he was too polite to say he didn't like it, but Melissa could see it in his face.

She offered him some of her own tea instead, she could still only appreciate Frances' brew now, and said: 'You'll get used to it. It gives a nice kick in the morning.'

Just then, Paul entered the kitchen and greeted Melissa with a warm embrace and a kiss. He said: 'I followed my nose to the coffee, if you don't like it, John, I'll have it. Lukas out running?'

John was holding on to his chair, frozen up, fear in his eyes.

Paul ignored his reaction, maybe remembering his own fear, poured a cup of coffee, and only then looked at John, asking conversationally: 'And, do you like my little palace?

Swallowing audibly, John found his voice, though his body did not relax: 'I've seen riches, owned them, but your place is different. It is not opulent, just perfect. I have not explored yet, to be frank, Paul, I didn't dare. My mind tells me to trust you, but my instincts tell me you are dangerous and to flee from you. I'm sorry, I cannot help it.'

Of all the people Melissa knew, Paul would be the first to relate to John's fear, and he said: 'I understand, I've been there, John. Do you dare to challenge the fear?'

And he opened his arms and invited John to sit on his lap. 'I have come to like cuddling guys, Lukas needs a lot of love, too. Don't worry, the chair will hold.'

That worked, it moved John's attention to the slim, elegant chair instead of to his fear, and he found he could move again.

'It is beautiful, everything here is beautiful. Your dolphin necklace is the most beautiful thing I've seen. I'll try, please forgive me if I fail.'

And with that, John got up and sat on Paul's lap, Paul's hands on his shoulders, lightly, not restraining him. Nothing happened. Paul sipped his coffee, life went on, as John fought his urge to run, and won.

He really looked at his host now, and observed: 'Your hair is shorter, and darker, and you have more of a beard. You're a good-looking fellow, in a rugged way. You smell nice. May I try to sit against you?'

'Be my guest, as I said, I like cuddling men these days,' was Paul's open answer, 'test your fear of me, I am actually quite a nice guy. I've been told my love is so strong it burns, very powerful stuff, once you get used to it.'

John put his arms around Paul carefully, slowly, and then he laid his head on the taller man's chest. One of Paul's arms closed around him, the other stroked his hair, his shoulders, his back, innocuous places.

He did smell nice, this big guy, and his touch was very light, very loving. Of course he had to be nice, Lykos, no, Lukas, better get used to that, wouldn't have loved him if he weren't. It did feel good to have those large, strong hands hold him and stroke him. One hand moved a little to more sensitive places now, his face, his throat, and still he didn't feel fear.

'You smell nice as well,' a deep voice said, 'I smell soap, and yourself, and Melissa, she let you cuddle her, didn't she? Did you feel the baby move?'

At the mention of him touching this man's wife, John froze again, but there was no challenge in Paul's words, and then he mentioned the baby.

'I did, I did feel your belly move, Melissa.'

She observed quietly: 'I know, I felt the baby react to you.'

'He must like you then, John,' Paul said, holding the emaciated man who had once been Lukas' worst enemy with two arms around him now. 'Do you believe now that I mean you no harm? Will you come with me for a tour of my house? I'm very proud of my work and I like to show people around.'

John nodded, and replied: 'I do, my mind is convinced that you mean me no harm, and my body almost. Please don't blame me if it still betrays me every so often. I've been hurt a lot by strong men, and your demeanour is rather imposing to a small guy like me.'

He was small, even for a Greek man, his weight had made him seem larger than he truly was, and now he was greatly diminished, almost a boy in stature, though his face betrayed his age and his experiences.

But they would soon have him back to a normal weight, and a more trusting attitude, and most important of all, Melissa found she liked him, she didn't mind having him around.

That would make him a lot easier to live with, she knew he would not be going anywhere else soon, and she did not mind one bit.

John's fearful attitude towards him had stirred Paul's own memories a lot, he clearly remembered his own skittishness after having been tortured and abused for just one day, by a slight but powerful young woman. What John must be feeling after months of humiliation and depravation by men much stronger than himself, was something he couldn't imagine, and he felt sorry for the smaller man.

Somehow his manner towards John adapted itself to the hands-on, familiar ways Ophius, Hermes and Galan had shown him once they had become friends, and it was clear his loving treatment of John was already putting their guest at ease.

Paul showed him the living-room, and the bathroom, which made a huge impression on John. He gawked at the mosaic, and asked: 'Did you make all of this after your visit to our world? You must have been very busy then, and very talented, to translate our style to one so markedly your own.' Paul noticed he stood in front of the satyr figure longest.

Slowly putting an arm on John's slight shoulder, Paul smiled and replied: 'Actually I made it even before I saw your beautiful country and its fabulous mosaics. This sprung from my fantasy, from how I imagined your ancient culture to be. And you are right, it took me longer than half a year to design and make.'

'Has it been half a year? It feels much longer, as if I have been selling my body for food and some love for years and years. How can a man be reduced to nothing at all so quickly?' As he spoke these words, he looked directly at Paul, who saw John's eyes overflowing again. It was not pathos, but true hurt, and Paul could understand it so well.

'I was reduced to a quivering wreck in just one night, John,' Paul said, wanting to hold the man before him, comfort him, but loath to frighten him with his touch, 'if Lukas hadn't take my fear away I would still be afraid of women I didn't know very well.'

John looked up at Paul, a mixture of unbelief and guilt clearly visible on his expressive face. 'It's the harsh truth, John, even the strongest man can be broken.' Paul opened his arms to John, to prove to him he had been forgiven, and that he was aware the smaller man needed a lot of love to be restored.

Very slowly, John moved towards Paul, and let himself be wrapped in the taller man's arms. The feeling and the scent were already familiar, and it was so good to be held in a loving embrace, of someone who had been through a similar experience, and wouldn't think less of him because of his fear.

Slowly, John started to realize why Lukas was so very fond of this man, that he had found Dionysus' secret hideout and threatened his old friend against his very nature, to get Paul back. As John held on to the incredibly muscular chest, he felt so safe, so protected, he felt his grief ebb and let go of his fear for this large man at least.

He said: 'Thank you, Paul, I needed that. And thank you for your forgiveness, of course you had already said you forgave me, but feeling it makes it much more real.'

They went on to the workshop, and John observed: 'This is a very comfortable place to be, you must all be very happy to be here.'

Paul replied: 'We are, we work hard but it doesn't even feel like working. Lukas is a very good craftsman too, he loves making things with his hands.'

Somehow, John seemed to understand: 'Before I became immortal, and bored with life, I used to be very happy growing things. Vines, mostly.' He said this with a knowing grin, 'but also wild flowers, beautiful trees, I liked the quiet of the glades, the smell of the leaves. I guess nothing much grows here in your cold country?'

It was very strange to imagine John had never seen the abundant green that England could produce, so much more profuse than most of the drought-resistant vegetation of Greece.

'On the contrary, John, our country is known for its lush forests and its beautiful meadows filled with flowers. If you can handle facing more strangers, we'll take you to my best friends here, they own a large manor and more importantly, a greenhouse filled with luxurious, tropical plants that thrive even in winter.

We're building another greenhouse there at this very moment, and we're being picked up by a carriage to supervise this very afternoon. Lukas will be back any moment now, then we'll put in our hours at the forge, have lunch and go out. Melissa will go too, she is needed there most of all, for it is her design and her job to make sure the materials and the construction are in good order, and today is an important stage in the build.'

That was a bit of a shock to John, back amongst people already? 'I don't know if I can handle that, Paul, a building site sounds like lots of rough men.'

'No-one will force you to come, John, you can stay here, you'd be on your own for a few hours, though. But there will be no men in the greenhouse, and my friend Frances is very sweet, she knows about trauma, she has helped traumatized children recover. Why not discuss it with Melissa and Lukas later? You'd love the heat of the greenhouse, and the plants all around. Frances loves plants, she knows a lot about them.'

Right then, the front door opened and Lukas came in, wearing his shorter, thinner running coat, face coloured with the cold outside, in an excellent humour.

Finding his friend up and in the workshop, talking to Paul easily, made him very happy, that was very clear. His face brightened even more and his broadest smile appeared, making him look so cute Paul wanted to kiss him. But he didn't, for this was John's moment.

John hung back, still uncertain how Lukas really felt about him after his despicable deeds in the past.

But Lukas didn't have any qualms, he had let go of any negative feelings towards his old friend, and he wanted to hug John and give him the love he felt for him.

Lukas was not a threatening figure to John, not at all. He felt so much love for Lukas, had thought of him so often, and with such regret, that he did not show the slightest sign of fear or hesitation to fall into the arms that were held out to him.

'You're cold,' John exclaimed, as he clung to the dearest thing he had ever had, how could one mortal boy have caught his heart so totally? Lukas had tears rolling down his face, he was so intensely glad to see his old friend alive and better than he expected, side by side with Paul, whom he had been so afraid of last night.

As they stood together in a tight embrace, Paul decided to let them be and go to work, and Melissa came in to do her share of it, carrying a tray with snacks for Lukas, but mainly for John, who needed to eat very often to restore his body.

The sight of food immediately distracted the two men, they attacked it with energy, and when it had totally disappeared, Lukas took the tray back to the kitchen, wanting to change into his working clothes as well.

For the next hour, a lot of work was done, Lukas was putting together the latest bicycles, two at a time, still quite a job, made easier by some assistance. John was eager to help, and he quickly picked up the knack of handing the right tool or bolt, enabling Lukas to work fast.

After one hour, though, John started to yawn, and having decided he'd accompany them to the manor, Melissa thought it wise for him to take a nap, seriously considering to join him, she often retired for an hour before or after lunch, and this afternoon would be a big job for her, the final inspection of the commissioned frame before the glass was put on.

'John, do you want to join me for a nap?' she asked, 'your body needs rest, and this afternoon is going to be hard on you, facing so many people at once.'

John was not eager to leave Lukas, working together was always a great time to talk, and they still had so much to share, but he did see the sense in Melissa's advice. 'I really should, though I like helping you, Lukas. Do I get to try it out when it's done?' he asked, 'I saw people riding a bicycle sometimes and I always thought I'd like to try.'

'Sure,' Lukas replied, 'I'm counting on it, you're the best choice we have for a guinea-pig, for this one is a smaller size.'

There was quite a market for the smaller bicycles now, Paul had been right to invest in the moulds for smaller parts. This one was actually not commissioned, they had just built it to have a smaller model for potential customers to try, and a great thing that was, for now John could use it.

It was a ladies' model, with floral ornamentation, very pretty, and Melissa secretly thought John would look very cute on it.

She kissed both Lukas and Paul, then took John's hand and led him upstairs, to their own bedroom. 'Do you want to share the bed?' Melissa asked him, 'I always have trouble sleeping alone, and I need my rest for I have a busy afternoon ahead, a bit too much for my advanced pregnancy to be totally honest. I'm starting to feel the load, so to speak. But don't tell the boys, they'd only get worried over me, they're like two mother-hens.'

He just had to smile at her trusting remark, and looking at her sizeable belly and her large, attractive shape, he could imagine her being tired, and he couldn't think of a better place to sleep than in her arms. So he replied eagerly: 'I'd love to nap with you, you're nice and soft and warm, and you understand that my body may be less respectful of your decency than I am, you didn't blame me for its unthinking excitement this morning. I feel safe with you.'

He was so cute, she could kiss him, but she didn't, for that would tempt both of them unwisely.

She undressed and crawled in the bed, and received his slight shape, also naked, against her. Warmed and comforted by her calm presence, he fell asleep immediately, and Melissa soon followed.

The movement of the child inside her woke Melissa totally refreshed, and she felt the man in her arms excited once more. There was no need to wake him, he was not as forward as Lukas had been, but Melissa did think John needed to share his love soon, his body was ready for it even if his mind might not be.

And of course the thought of Frances came back to her. She was incredibly gentle, and had experience with traumatized people. John would be able to talk to her in Greek, and he was much older than she was, so he'd have no problems with seeing a mother-figure in her.

She decided to broach the subject to him as soon as he woke, he would have to know about Frances anyway, for his shy manners and slight body would attract their hostess immensely. If Melissa herself felt it, Frances would want him even more.

Enjoying the antics of their baby, Melissa concentrated on him for some time, she had not realized even an unborn child would already show so much character. And she always got a clear feeling of masculinity from him, was that some foolish hunch of a pregnant woman, or did she really carry a boy-child who had a sense of self already?

Tempted to see inside her own body and try to find out, she decided to not do it. It felt as if she was invading her child's space if she did that, he'd show himself to her soon enough.

Lukas had used his talent to check on their baby a few times, to see if he was growing well, and feeling safe, and had been able to confirm both issues every time.

It was very nice to be day-dreaming in a nice warm bed, with a warm shape against her, though he was a bit too bony to feel really snug. Suddenly John woke up with a shock, turning and rolling into a ball again. But this time he corrected himself as soon as he was well and truly awake, snuggling against her once more, and asking permission to feel her belly again.

She was happy to give it to him, and he felt the baby move with obvious enjoyment.

'Do you have any children, John?' she asked mildly.

'Probably,' he answered dryly, 'I've loved so many women that undoubtedly some children resulted, but I've never really had a child in the sense that I raised one. Lukas had the advantage of me there even before I first met him. Thinking back, I was a despicable person even then.'

Melissa couldn't believe that, and she told him why: 'I'm sure Lukas must have seen something in you to love, he always told us you treated him well enough to make him love you, despite missing his step-mother and child so much.'

'Who doesn't Lukas love?' John retorted with a hint of sarcasm, 'he is so easy to please. Be nice to him and he loves you.'

'Don't be sour, John, Lukas is not easy to please, people make more effort to please him because he is so loveable. He does not love people who don't deserve it.'

Crestfallen, John retorted: 'That cannot be true, he loves me.'

'If you think I crawl into bed with just any miserable looking fellow that crosses my path, and Paul lets me, think again. We trust you because Lukas sincerely loves you, and that means you must be worth something.'

That silenced him, all right.

But Melissa still had something to discuss with him, and she said: 'John, the people you are about to meet are not typical Victorians, they are used to sharing love like your people do.

The lady of the house, Frances, will be very much attracted to you, your shyness and your slightness. If you do not want to share love with her will you please let her know very clearly, but nicely, so she does not feel hurt?

She will not hold it against you in any way, you need not feel forced to share with her. But John, I think your body is very eager to make love again, and she would be very willing and very gentle with you.

Her husband will not claim her, he will not hurt you in any way for sharing with her, he shares, too. It is the kind of marriage they have. And if you feel fear of any kind, find one of us, and we'll stay with you. Even Paul, he is very protective, and I think he has included you in his group of people that need to be protected. You will always be very safe with him.'

John clearly needed some time to digest that information, he was not pleased with the idea that he might become prey to a high-born lady. But he did feel a strong need to make love again, he could not deny that at all. He was warm, he was well-fed, he felt loved and safe, and now his male needs made themselves very clear.

He told Melissa: 'The very idea scares the hell out of me, but I do feel my need stirring. Is it all right if I see how things go? If I don't feel up to it I'll become frightened and she'll back off, that couldn't hurt her, could it? If you tell her I've had a hard time?'

That was good enough for Melissa, and she promised him she would make it very clear to Frances that John had been through some things that could make him feel fear suddenly. But something in her was certain this would work out, John would get the love he needed, and Frances was in for the time of her life, and the heat and the vegetation in the hothouse would bring them together.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

They were just in time for lunch, or maybe the guys had been waiting for them, for the table was ready and waiting, with the guys at their first cup of coffee and tea waiting for Melissa and John. After lunch Melissa gathered the drawings and other stuff she needed for her work, and put on her solid shoes and her coat, and the rest did the same. Lukas lent John his beloved parka, and wore an extra jumper and his running coat himself.

It didn't take long for the carriage to arrive, and they travelled swiftly despite the snow-cover.

As they arrived, Frances was waiting for them, a bit apprehensively, for the build had taken away a lot of their privacy, even in winter, and she was eager for it to be finished so they would have their grounds back to themselves.

If the frame measured up to Melissa's exacting standards today, that might be as soon as within a week, for that was how long it would take to put the glass panes in place, after which Paul and Lukas would take over, placing the ornaments and the heating system.

Mr Jones had advised against waiting to place the ornaments, he argued that welding them in place would damage the glass, but of course Paul and Lukas were not planning to weld them with unsubtle equipment, they were going to use magic to make a really precise bond, not even coming close to the glass.

They had thanked Mr Jones for the advice, and told him they would try to make it work, remembering his warning if something went wrong. But they knew it wouldn't, though they couldn't tell Mr Jones of course.

For John, being met by just one person, and that person a woman, was a real relief, and as Lukas introduced him as his old friend, John, John could indeed see the interest in her eyes.

Without falling into dramatic descriptions, Lukas explained to her that he had found John living in the streets in the cold, suffering from deprivation, but also from a kind of trauma, which might make him fearful of large and noisy men.

With a sigh that spoke volumes, Frances had told him she didn't like them either, but that a building site by its very nature was filled with them. She would be very pleased to leave her hard-working 'guests' to Melissa, Lukas and Paul for an hour, and show John around in her greenhouse.

Melissa saw no sign of fear in the small man, and felt free to tell Frances: 'John may sound very much a Londoner, Frances, but he speaks an excellent Greek.'

Somehow, speaking Greek had turned into a euphemism for making love, in the household of the Nomes'. Melissa had resented their circumspect way of talking when she had first met the family, but by now she was used to their manners and thought them quite entertaining.

Frances' face lightened up at the prospect of talking Greek again, and she asked Melissa: 'Do you want coffee first, or after work?'

'After work please, Frances,' Melissa replied, 'I've had a nice nap and I'm ready for my task, if I start to get sleepy again I'll need the caffeine. You take John here to the greenhouse, he told me he hasn't seen real plants for six months.'

Frances hugged her carefully, and said: 'Ilsa is starting to feel it, too, she still works but takes naps very often. I suppose you will also need some new maternity clothing soon, Ilsa has found a seamstress who can make it look almost fashionable, I bet you're dying to wear something nice again, too.'

That was Frances, always a step ahead, always thinking of others.

'Thank you so much, I do yearn for nice clothes again, will Ilsa be here today?'

Melissa was very glad to hear Ilsa was expected that afternoon, so she kissed John and whispered 'Will you be all right?' in his ear, and when he answered 'She is sweet, I'm sure I will be,' she gave both Paul and Lukas an arm and left for the building site.

Mr Jones was there for the important inspection, and he worried all the climbing would be too much for Melissa: 'Why didn't you let another inspector do it, dear girl, all this climbing, isn't that dangerous?'

Paul and Lukas probably thought the same thing, but they wouldn't dream of saying it out loud, she'd flay them with words if they wanted her to stop doing anything she did before.

But of course Melissa did not shout or snub at Mr Jones, and she politely and patiently told him she would be fine, Paul would help her, and since this was her first building ever she wanted to be the one to inspect it thoroughly, leaving the final inspection to an independent inspector, of course.

And as Melissa carefully walked the scaffolding surrounding the iron frame of their very first greenhouse, checking every tiny detail of its construction for weaknesses and flaws, taking notes and measuring everything, John followed Frances towards the old greenhouse, a bit anxious after all.

Frances was very curious who this small, haggard-looking friend of Lukas' was. He looked like a Greek, actually, but a very forlorn one. He was clean, but very skinny, and Lukas' parka looked much too big on him. There was a haunted look in his eyes, as if he didn't trust Frances, as if he didn't trust anyone anymore, a look that reminded Frances of how Lucy could sometimes react, to a harsh voice, or to any man she didn't know.

The build was not good for the poor girl, Lukas had healed her trauma, but she would probably never be quite relaxed again amongst strange people, and Frances had allowed her to stay in the house mostly as long as the builders were there.

As they arrived at the greenhouse, Frances invited John in, and offered to take his coat, since he didn't need it inside. He handed it over readily enough, and she put it on a chair with her own, well away from the watering-system. She really needed to ask Paul check that out, for it was old and, she feared, leaky.

The boiler didn't function as it should either, it was not of Paul's making, they had had it for years, before Paul had developed such an aptitude for crafting. She should have let him check it out in summer, but of course one didn't think of those things until it was too late.

No matter, she'd ask him when they were at work in the new greenhouse, they'd be there on a daily basis.

As his hostess was lost in thought, John was lost in delight. The heat was a blessing to him, he had been cold for months, he hadn't even know such cold existed. And of course it had gotten worse gradually, and then he had lost his woollen coat to a large and very strong customer, not without a fight, which had cost him even more in pain and humiliation.

But that was all in the past now, he had found Lukas, and Lukas had forgiven him, and he was warm, had food in his belly, and this place was truly warm and there were plants everywhere. And this lady who liked shy men, Frances, was rather attractive, though she was older than the girls he had usually preferred.

John remembered Hailee with regret, she had often warned him not to listen to the lady visitor, the voluptuous Babylonian goddess. Though Hailee had never known the identity of the foreign woman, she just knew something was wrong with her, which turned out to be more true than he had ever imagined when the goddess had forced him to give up Lukas, the light of his life, not to her, he had at least managed that, but to some other world that, he had known even then, would never give him back.

And in a way it hadn't, the Lykos he loved had changed and would stay here as Lukas forever. But John was still very happy to be in the same place with Lukas, though it was on a cold and uncaring world.

Hailee had truly loved him, John thought, he would like to return to her and marry her and have some nice children to take care of together, but that was probably not going to happen, he had to be realistic about his prospects.

If he could find a home and a job on this world, and maybe someone to share it with, as Lukas had, he would be very well-off. But before he even thought of that, he was going to enjoy the heat and the lush greenery of this hothouse, and the company of this sweet woman, and who knows, maybe even her love.

John found Frances looking at him with horror, did she find him repulsive? John knew he looked old and gaunt, but he was clean, and his hair was cut and combed. Fortunately her words belied her being repulsed, for she said: 'My goodness John, Lukas did not exaggerate that you had had a rough time. Those clothes are way too large for you but I know they are fitted to Lukas, and Lukas is very slim. You must be skin over bone.'

She invited him to sit down on a little seat amongst the leafy plants, a magnificent place to rest his body and his eyes, she really had a way with plants, to keep them this large and healthy when outside everything was frozen and the light was low.

'I am,' he admitted, 'I have lived on the streets for half a year, sharing love for money and for the power it gave me, sinking ever lower, getting raped and beaten until I didn't dare to love anymore and nearly died of it. That is when Lukas found me, if he hadn't I would certainly have died. Now I am staying with him until I have found a job and a place to live.'

Hearing John speak of sharing love and needing power derived from loving, immediately told Frances that this man was from Lukas' world, and that he was like Lukas and Hermes, able to use love to gather magic power. He must be a god then, at least on their world.

If that were true, he had fallen as deeply as anyone could, and from the stories she had heard from Lukas, but also from George and Hermes of course, she had enough knowledge of what had happened in the ancient Greece world to realize this shade of a man must be Dionysus, dumped here to fend for himself. There weren't that many Greek gods fallen out of grace lately.

A fallen god in her greenhouse, who had betrayed Lukas and his people, and who had consorted with an evil goddess. He didn't look like a bad person at all, but of course that was the whole point, truly bad people often pretended to be otherwise.

But somehow Frances couldn't believe that this small, shy man was bad at heart.

Lukas trusted him, and Lukas was no fool, and anyway, her eyes didn't lie, this man was in a very bad state, and he needed help.

She asked: 'John, do you know anything about plants? Lukas said you were dying to see vegetation again.'

His answer fit her suspicion well, and was what she hoped to hear: 'I used to be very good with plants, especially vines. I loved wine, and developed several new kinds of grapes from seeds. That is very difficult to do.'

Frances nodded, she knew, so much so she had never tried, but of course it was no use to grow vines for wine in England, she'd need a greenhouse the size of their whole property, and the grapes would stay sour for lack of sunlight.

John continued: 'I haven't grown anything for a long time, I was too distracted with other things, but I have always missed tending my gardens and my vineyard.'

She observed: 'Let me show you around, and if you like what you see, you can relearn what you knew in my greenhouse. Then when the other greenhouse is ready, I will hire you to help me plant it. Have you ever had coffee?'

He nodded: 'I did, but I didn't like it, it was very bitter.'

'Wait until you have tasted mine, it is so much better. I want to grow it myself, and everybody says it cannot be done. Will you help me prove them wrong? I have tried in a lot of ways and I can keep the seedlings from dying, but they don't thrive. I think you know a lot about plants, and if we combine our knowledge we may yet succeed.'

He looked at her in amazement and stated: 'You know who I was, don't you?'

'I have a suspicion. Did Lukas tell you my husband has an ongoing affair with his father? Hermes stayed here for two weeks, I suppose after he dumped you here, and I did hear some things about what happened in your world. George may know more, though I'm sure he would not have condoned getting you raped and almost killed with deprivation, he is a good man.'

'And Melissa told me you are a very good woman. I can see she was right, and I would love to be allowed to help you raise coffee and plant a new greenhouse, though I don't think I'm better at it than you are. Too bad my magic was blocked, I used to be very good at helping things grow with it. But I'd not have any power anyway, I suppose, no worshippers, no power.'

Frances observed: 'I think that is not entirely true, Lukas gets power from loving, I think.'

Nodding in understanding, John said: 'That is true, selling myself kept me young, but the amount of power was negligible.'

'It wasn't negligible to Hermes, nor to Lukas,' Frances observed, 'they were both saved from serious hurt by loving. Maybe there needs to be a real bond, not just lust, to give the power.'

That was the true explanation, why selling himself didn't help much, and why just cuddling Lukas or Melissa made him feel much better. It was the true feeling that counted, not the act.

'Thank you for your insights, Frances,' John said, 'I think you are right, it is the love that counts, not the sex.'

'You don't look like a god at all, John,' Frances observed.

'I'm not,' John said, without a hint of pain, 'I was gorgeous, really big, the girls used to love me. I guzzled wine all day, I was never completely sober, I was the second best lover a woman could have the fortune to bed. Now I'm skin over bones, and I dare not love anyone anymore, I've been hurt too deeply.' Of course that last sentence did give John pain to utter, no man would do without making love voluntarily.

Frances was deeply moved by the depth of his fall, and the dryness with which he described it, and the contrast with his former life as a spoiled and bored god. She wanted to love him, but she realized that he was used to the best, and she must be old to him, her body showing her age, though in years he was much older.

But her feelings for his plight were strong no matter what he felt about her, Frances was used to being seen as a mother-figure instead of a woman, and though she wanted to return his faith in her in the form of love, she knew she would probably not be the one he would choose to trust himself to. So she offered him a tour of the greenhouse and a superb cup of coffee at the end, and the promise of a job if he was interested.

'George would never go against Hermes' interests, but if it is acceptable to him he might see if the block on your magic can be removed. Somehow I think that his magic can be compared to that of a god on your world.'

John did show an interest in having his magic restored, but not as much as she'd think, and he seemed disappointed somehow, as if he had expected something else of her, and she did not want to disappoint him even further after what he had been through, so she asked bluntly: 'Is there something else I can do for you, John?'

How could a god, even without powers, be so incredibly shy? It just tugged her heart-strings, she wanted to hold him and love him, but that would never be.

The slight shade of a man confessed: 'Melissa said you'd probably be attracted to me, expected you to want to make love to me. But you've shown no interest at all, does my reduced figure repulse you? I know I'm not as handsome as I used to be, nor as forward, but I'm still very skilled.'

Frances had to swallow a few times at hearing that, but at the same time her heart leaped and she replied: 'I find you very attractive, John, but most young men think I'm too old to be interesting, they'd rather talk to me than make love to me. I didn't want to force myself on you, so I offered you what I thought you wanted.'

'I'm centuries old, Frances, you're very young compared to me, and very attractive. My body wants me to make love again, but my mind tells me to stay clear of anything even vaguely like it. Can you help me? Please?'

'There is nothing I'd rather do right now.' Frances held out her arms, and John was in them pretty fast. She offered to kiss, and he felt no fear but heat, so they did.

They kissed until his heat rose enough to make him want to touch her, and they undid some buttons to make that possible. She had lovely soft breasts, and her hands on him didn't worry him, they made him want more, he felt his ardour awake and take over from his fear.

Frances suggested they find a more comfortable place to make love than a hard wooden seat, and John followed her over a tiny path between the plants, over a tiny artificial hill, to a comfortable low sofa hemmed in by green on all sides.

Delighted, John let himself be pulled on it, and he felt he must have landed in what the Victorians called heaven, a place where every wish came true and where all suffering was forgotten. John forgot everything but the lovely woman with him, who was kissing him again, and who now had a hand in his shirt and stroked his chest and shoulders with heat.

That brought both of them back to earth, for the feel of him caused her to almost retreat from him in shock, she had never felt so little flesh on anyone, not even the rejected children from the wasteland, he was just bones everywhere, and his skin sagged over it. She was afraid to break him or hurt him, he was so fragile.

But there was no retreating now, John's lust was up, and he was a very skilled and ardent lover, his fear forgotten, his body taking over his mind. Frances remembered the stories of Lukas' first weeks, making love to exhaustion but still gaining energy by doing so, and she supposed John would do the same.

They undressed the other, and Frances took a few minutes to really look at his body, to prevent further surprises, his ribs sticking out, his arms and legs devoid of fat and even muscle, his skin much too loose and dull with lack of nourishment.

It was very soft, though, and John relished every touch on his body, his fear totally gone, his eyes sparking fire.

He was not at all careful of himself, as he jumped on top of her, and they were soon fondling and stroking with extreme heat, kissing and exploring one another's most sensitive places. Thinking of John's past half year of trying to please customers for payment, Frances decided to attend to his need first, caressing his emaciated body all over, enjoying the extreme softness of his loose skin, kissing his gaunt face.

When she reached his loins, she stroked his inner legs, and carefully took his erect penis in her mouth, making him shudder with bliss. It had been such a long time since he had been touched with loving care instead of rough lust.

In this little piece of heaven, the best illusion mankind had ever thought up for itself, John felt not a single twinge of distress, just a lot of ardour, his poor abused body was coming to life bit by bit, and he thoroughly enjoyed Frances' expert ministrations until his lust neared a climax, which they were not ready for at all.

So he took over, proving his reputation as a superb lover on her lush, delicious body. He licked her greedily, intensely happy to taste that part of a woman once again, to feel her heat up under his tongue and his fingers, to make her shiver first, and then shudder, until she was moaning in bliss and finally came to an explosive high.

Then he did it all again, but slightly differently, less firmly and much more tenderly. John suspected Frances had been without love for some time also, for she gave herself up to him totally, and seemed very disappointed when she reached another climax very quickly.

'Don't worry, sweet lady,' he said with confidence now, back on firm grounds with a woman moaning in delight under his expert touch, 'we can make it last.'

Then he mounted her and rode her with a force belying his looks, and his reputation was not an exaggeration, she was not given the chance to catch her breath before he had her gasping with release again, and then he gave himself over to total abandonment, pumping furiously until he shocked in release and lowered himself on top of her carefully. He did not weigh a thing.

Stroking his bony back as he lay heaving, she felt concern at the intensity of his exertion, but John seemed very alert and full of energy. He really did thrive on love, like Lukas, and to be honest, like Hermes as well. For though she didn't share love with either, they always felt her motherly kindness acutely and reacted to it like large, sleek tomcats, shivering in bliss at being stroked by their humans.

But this tomcat had stronger feelings, he did not see her as a motherly figure, he desired her body, he had tasted her with relish, and taken her with decision, and Frances was sorry he was through, she would have loved to enjoy his devotion a little longer.

Still, it had been so good, and he would profit by the power it gave him, so she laid back on the sofa and enjoyed the green around them, noticing that John did the same. He was breathing in the smell of fresh green, lying next to her naked and yet not feeling cold, such a luxurious feeling.

He crawled against her as closely as he could, stroking her curves, sucking her nipples, kissing her body and her mouth, and she came to realize he was not spent at all, he was just taking a little rest and enjoying the heat on his body, and the woman beside him.

And indeed after ten minutes of cuddling, his touch became passionate again, he sported an erection once more, and he rubbed his scrawny body against her with an intensely happy smile. That looked so good on him, Frances couldn't believe how his face was transformed by plain, unadulterated happiness.

'Can we have another round?' he asked politely, not pausing in his heated exploration of her flesh, and his subtle movement of his loins against her thighs.

'You most certainly can,' she replied, shivering in anticipation, and as soon as she had spoken those words, he was at it again, releasing feelings in her that she had never known, a passion she thought she would never feel again.

It was hard to imagine that Lukas was acknowledged as the better lover, but Frances knew the one time she had shared love with him had been a mistake, one he had fortunately forgiven her wholeheartedly.

But Dionysus' reputation might have been influenced by his godly arrogance and selfishness, which would have stood between between him and true mastery of the art of love, maybe his fall and consequent suffering had taught him something that had improved his empathy, something Lukas had always possessed.

Soon she couldn't think anymore, and this time they seemed to become one body as they indulged in lusts long neglected, though never forgotten. This time, he has exhausted afterwards, he had not held back in the slightest, and his chest heaved and he couldn't move for a few moments, a thing that worried Frances but delighted John.

They clung together a little longer, totally spent, until John had gotten his breath back. His haunted look was gone for now, with them being safely hidden amongst the leaves, and Frances observed: 'Just wait until spring arrives, and everything comes to life again. You'll be stunned with all the green around you, even in the neighbourhood where Lukas lives.

Do you feel better? No regrets?'

A loving smile was her answer, and he seemed a little younger already. Frances did wonder what George knew about this whole situation, and she couldn't wait to see his reaction on beholding the fallen god. Maybe her husband would know who he was instantly.

But with George's partiality for Hermes, she did deem it wise to have at least Lukas along when they first met, and preferably Paul and Melissa as well, to prevent John from getting another shock, so when John was showing signs of getting hungry again, she proposed they dress and find the others for a snack and a cup of coffee. Melissa must be ready with her inspection by now, hopefully with good results.

Though not looking forward to going outside and meeting a lot of people, the promise of food did appeal to John, and he dressed and followed Frances through the greenhouse with its lovely plants, to the entrance, where they donned their coats and braved the cold once more.

Inspection done, Melissa was ready for some rest. Though she was not going to admit it, climbing scaffolding was getting too difficult, and walking along the narrow boards was outright scary, her balance disturbed by her changing weight and a certain light-headedness that could come over her suddenly.

As she stepped down in Paul's arms with relief a little too obvious to please herself, he crushed her against his own body and he whispered in her ear: 'That was your last formal inspection until you've had the baby. No argument, I can see how hard it is on you, I love you too much to risk a fall.'

Suppressing tears, she went with him, Lukas, Frances and John to the manor house for their coffee. The work crew would get their coffee in a cabin Mr Jones had placed on every worksite.

Paul had managed to convince Frances they could drink regular coffee, but she drew the line at the treats, so the whole crew had the same beautiful cakes or scrumptious pies with their coffee as the family had.

Feeling Melissa's emotions as if they had their minds linked, Paul felt a little guilty for being bossy, but someone had to draw a line somewhere or she would work herself to death, or fall off a building towards her doom.

'Please don't be angry, beloved, I didn't mean to be so bossy, it's just that I fear for you when you're up there. I know you feel dizzy sometimes, it's just not safe.'

He barely got the time to finish his sentence before she was in his arms, crying quietly, and he didn't say anything anymore, he just held her.

The others saw them stop, but Frances encouraged John and Lukas to just move along, having been in the same situation four times she knew it would be all right within minutes. Lukas was in doubt, but Frances needed him there when John met George, so she gestured to have him come along with the two of them, which he did, but with a question in his eyes.

'I know who your ghostly guest was,' she said to him, 'and I'm rather certain George knows more than I did, so I want you present when they meet. You know how much George values your father.'

Lukas understood immediately and followed her into the house.

In the meantime, Melissa wondered why she was crying, so she dried her eyes and said: 'I'm sorry Paul, I don't know why I cry all the time, or get angry. You are right, I cannot do this anymore, it is too dangerous. I was very afraid to fall the whole time, but I wanted to know that all was well, it is our first structure and no other inspector can feel the iron as I can.'

Relieved to find her back to her old self, he replied: 'It's the baby, love, your mind is preparing to be responsible for a new life. Both Frances and Lukas say it will pass once the baby is born.'

She found that hard to believe, she couldn't even remember being level-headed and of a steady temperament anymore. But Ilsa didn't seem to mind very much, and Ilsa loved her job as much as Melissa did, she'd talk to her this afternoon.

'But how will we know whether your parents' greenhouse is well-built? And what if I don't get inspections anymore after those months, what if they forget about me?'

Of course he had an answer to that as well: 'You can easily check a structure from the ground to feel its soundness, love, your talent has grown so much, there is no need to climb on top of it anymore. That is just for the council regulations, you can let another inspector do that for my parents' glasshouse, and I'm sure Rupert will still want to have you check his materials and sites informally before the formal inspection.

He'll make sure people remember you are the best inspector.'

Aware of how easily she got upset, Melissa was also aware how easily she let herself be comforted, but when she thought of all the women she knew with children, she couldn't think of even one who was overly emotional or silly. Her mother, her sisters, Frances, all normal. Paul's mother had been pregnant five times, but she seemed as stable as her husband or even more so.

That didn't mean she was less tired, so she let Paul take her arm and lead her inside, to a nice, soft couch by a cosy fire. A cup of Frances' coffee would do her good.

As they sat down, Lukas was on her other side instantly, and instead of letting his cosseting irritate her, she wrapped him in her arms and kissed him lovingly. He nestled against her and put a hand on her belly, after such an afternoon of climbing and walking, the baby would certainly use a moment of rest to start exercising.

Paul wanted a kiss too, and of course he got one, her bossy husband, the man of her dreams, still the handsomest man she knew.

Suddenly she realized she had not said hello to George yet, so she looked up to greet him, but he wasn't there. Frances and John had made themselves comfortable on another couch, a decent distance between them but still Melissa could see the bond connecting them. They had made love, and a lot more besides.

'I take it you liked the greenhouse, John?' she asked their new friend.

His smile was worth millions, he was happy and very relaxed, he nodded fervently and replied: 'It was delightful, so nice and hot, and all the plants, I used to be very good with plants but Frances is just incredible, in the middle of winter it was all green.

Some man in a black dress told me about a place called heaven one day, he gave me some hot soup and a place by a fire, so I listened to him and didn't argue with him, but now I realize it does exist: in Frances' greenhouse.'


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

He didn't breathe a word about making love, six months in Victorian England had taught him better, but Melissa could see he was improved already, slightly younger, more vigorous, and less beat. And Frances too, she must have been without lover for quite some time, she looked radiant.

The servants came in and brought a pot of coffee and today's treats, beautiful pies and whipped cream, and Frances decided to start without George, with three adult children it was a coming and going anyway, and she had long since given up on having everyone together at all mealtimes.

Bertha had her tea in the kitchen with the staff more often than in the living-room.

But as soon as the coffee was poured, George did come in, and even though Lukas was a daily visitor with the family, he nonetheless jumped up from Melissa's embrace and greeted his very dear friend with a loving hug and some kisses.

'Always happy to see you too, Lukas,' George said, laughing, 'what gives you such an excellent mood, did the frame pass Melissa's testing?'

Lukas smiled, and replied: 'That, and I found a beloved friend back that I didn't even know was missing.'

Only then did George look towards their visitor, and his face paled instantly. To the others, it was not clear whether the recognition was mutual, for John was no longer on the couch, but behind it. Lukas followed him with a cry of dismay, and everything was in an uproar for a short moment.

Then Paul got up, too, and said to George: 'It is clear you know John, and I for one am eager to know how and why.'

And with that he followed Lukas towards where John had disappeared. Frances kept her calm, got up and kissed her husband on his cheeks, then poured coffee for him, bid him to sit down next to Melissa until the guys had John calmed down.

'Somehow you frightened him, and he's not going to calm down with you standing there, staring at him.'

She had always been good with frightened creatures, and George did what she said, no longer pale but clearly with strong feelings, mixed feelings. No anger though, that much was apparent.

Melissa took his hand and squeezed it, George was feeling very uncomfortable and she wanted him to feel better. George was above her suspicion, she was convinced he would have nothing to do with John's neglect.

Finally Lukas and Paul managed to talk the gaunt figure from behind the couch, and he sat down in his former seat, but flanked by both men, to make him feel safe. He was still nervous, but he could speak, and his voice sounded calmer than expected: 'I'm sorry, Sir, to have fled your presence so ungraciously just now, I usually have better manners. But I have had some unpleasant experiences the last four months or so, and now I'm a bit skittish in the presence of men. Nothing personal, I'm quite pleased to meet you, actually. I'm John.'

But he did not offer to shake hands, and he did not get up from his seat. Nor did George get up to greet him, he could see that his presence frightened the little man, and since he could guess what the experiences had been, he quietly drank his coffee and kept very still, until Paul threw a significant look at him. George now clearly showed his feelings: they were guilt and shame.

'I know who you are, John, though I knew of you by a different name. Hermes told me about you when he left you here, had me drive by the place where he had left you twice during that stay, and he pointed you out to me. You looked different then.

In fact, he asked me to keep a bit of an eye on you, see if you were doing well, begging me to interfere if something threatened to go wrong.

I objected, said I could place you in my factory, with a roof over your head and a job to sustain you, though it would be hard, unschooled work. But he said you needed love and had skills to keep yourself young and fed. I was afraid it would go wrong, out in the streets, with no clue of our society and winter coming, but I didn't insist.

A grave error on my part, and one I am very sorry for. I hope you will give me the chance to redeem myself.

But to continue the story, I did keep an eye on you, drove by regularly and saw you doing quite well for a few weeks, with a room to stay in, some money to spend, as much power as you could still contain.

And I let my guard down, one busy week I neglected to check on you, and you were gone without a trace. I tried to find you, employed someone to catch your trail, but he failed, though he searched for weeks.

And there I erred again, for I should have come clear to Lukas about you, but I didn't. After some time I didn't dare anymore, I guessed something bad must have happened to you, and clearly I was not wrong.

Again, I'm sorry. I should have told Hermes you didn't have a chance to survive a London winter without an idea of what was coming and some protection. I thought Hermes knew what he was doing, but of course he wasn't. Your society is so much different. Why didn't he just leave you in your own world? I never got that.'

Strangely enough, it was Paul who was really angry, Lukas just seemed happy to have his friend back alive, though certainly not well.

But Paul, he would have shouted if that wouldn't have scared John even more. He said: 'I knew you were infatuated, George, but you knew what a winter in London was like, and how morals were so totally different from what he was used to. There was no way he could have made a living the way he tried. Look at him! Lukas found him by chance, one more week and he would have been dead. I don't care what he did, but that was just plain cruel.'

George bowed his head and nodded, and said: 'I made a big mistake, and I'm very sorry you suffered for it so much, John. Hermes was so sure of himself but of course he knew nothing. Paul is right, I was infatuated. Will I ever be able to make it up to you?'

John apparently thought it was time to say something, and he observed: 'Don't beat yourself up over what cannot be changed, Sir. I survived, I have Lukas back in my life, and some hope to be able to make a life for myself here.

Hermes was right not to leave me in our world, I would have died within a day without magic. Hera was always out for my blood, I'd rather have died here than give her the pleasure.'

Impressed, George said: 'Thank you, John, your mildness puts me to shame, I'm more of Paul's opinion myself. I should have known better. Please don't call me Sir, just George suffices, I have a feeling we will become acquainted quite well. Can we shake hands?'

John nodded, and George approached him carefully, slowly, then stuck out his hand. As John took it, George blanked out for a second, and when he released it he said: 'Would it please you if I got your magic restored to you? I cannot do it on my own, but with the help of Paul here, and Tristan, my son-in-law, I think we can break the magic blocking it.'

This offer stunned John, and he blurted out: 'But won't that make Hermes really angry? What would keep me from going back home?'

George replied: 'It will make him angry, yes, but I know what is right, and this wasn't. You have a right to make a living, and with magic that will be much easier, even on our world. And I cannot stop you from going back, but you would be hunted down and probably killed, you cannot oppose Hermes' family and Hera. Better stay here for a while yet, enjoy spring and summer with Lukas, see how it goes.

I'm so sorry I did nothing to prevent this, John. And I'm sorry, Paul, to have disappointed you. Will you help me anyway?'

'Actually, John's forgiving nature puts me to shame, George, who says I wouldn't have made a worse mistake. And of course I will help you give this man his magic back, he has suffered and I think he has changed as much as Hermes did. For I am certain Hermes meant well, I do not believe he would have agreed to let John die of deprivation and abuse over the course of six months, he would rather have killed him outright.'

Frances now told her husband: 'It would be excellent if you could return John's magic, for I have offered him a job to help me plant the greenhouse, and with his magic we may succeed in finally getting those seedlings to thrive. He's bred new vines from seed, you know.'

This pleased George, and he looked at his wife really well and said: 'I'm glad to hear that, Frances, you see I had a hunch I'd see more of him, him being Greek and all, and needing a lot of love like other Greek gods I know.'

To anyone except John himself, this was George telling his wife he was glad she had found a new lover, one she was likely to be able to enjoy for some time, for his love of plants and for his prowess.

Melissa, feeling much better with a cup of Frances' excellent coffee inside her, suspected that one of them would need to explain it to John that night. It would be a great relief for him to know that George had given his permission for the affair, as Frances accepted George's relationship with Lukas and Hermes.

What John did notice, was that Lukas and Paul went back to Melissa, and Frances moved a little closer to him, he supposed to give him some moral support in dealing with everything that had come out.

Though Paul had been very much disappointed in George, John was actually moved that Hermes had tried to give him a little security, to have asked someone to keep an eye out for him. To know that they even cared was very touching, but not enough to keep him from accepting George's offer to get his magic back.

The vague hope to be possibly reinstated back home did not outweigh the chance to make something of his life here, and magic would be such an asset, the ability to defend himself from danger, to heal his own body, and he seriously meant to help Frances raise those plants, he had felt so incredibly happy in that greenhouse, he wanted to go right back.

But he was happy as well to be living with Lukas for now, until his magic was active again he felt much safer with Lukas and Paul, he had not missed how Paul had stood up for him against someone he clearly loved and admired, almost as a father.

They talked a lot about the new greenhouse, how long the glazing would take, and what was next, when the first plants could be moved.

That was when Frances asked Paul: 'Would you please check out the piping and the boiler in the old greenhouse for me? I planned to ask you this summer, but I forgot, it was so hot in there already. But it seems to me there is a leak, and the boiler seems to be building up too much pressure sometimes. It is ten years old, maybe I should order a new one from you.'

Paul replied: 'We will, right after coffee. Overpressure is dangerous, I know you need that boiler, but if it goes up you'll lose the plants for sure. I will see if we can repair this one, or just keep it going safely one more month. You coming, Lukas?'

Lukas nodded, and asked Melissa: 'Will you stay here? You should probably take some rest.' He was afraid of a catty answer, but Melissa had given up: 'I will, Lukas, I ám tired, I admit it, though I feel better for a cup of coffee. But Ilsa is expected and I want to see her.'

'I'm tired, too,' John said, 'I've pushed myself a lot, today, do you mind if I stay here, with you, Melissa?'

She replied: 'I don't mind at all, John, I'll be pleased to have some company until Ilsa arrives. You should know that Ilsa's husband will probably accompany her, and he is a very large and very powerful man. Very friendly, though, and he looks it, too.'

That gave a moment's thought to John, but he observed: 'Didn't George mention him being part of an effort to unbind my magic?' Melissa nodded, pleasantly surprised to find him so observant, so soon after being delusional with hunger.

So the others left, but not before George had asked: 'Was it yesterday that Lukas found you, John?'

The smaller man affirmed: 'Yes, George, it was.'

'I suppose you had a piece of pie, Frances wouldn't let you starve, but you will still be hungry and you shouldn't eat more pie, it is too rich for your stomach. One moment, please, guys, Frances, I'm coming with you, but I have a little thing to do yet.'

George rang for a servant, and ordered some bread and Greek style cheese for his emaciated guest, whose deplorable condition he felt at least partially responsible for. 'See if there are some olives left, if you please,' he added, then at John: 'Hermes brought some olives with him, we may have a jar left. He prefers pie and chocolate and cream when he's here, but those will make you sick as yet, better wait a week before eating a lot of them at once.'

It was clear that George's kind attention to his health made an impression on John, and when they had left and the servant arrived bearing a earthenware jar of real Greek olives on a tray, besides some bread and cheese, John admitted to Melissa: 'He obviously feels very guilty, but I don't hold him responsible for any of it. It seems to have been an unfortunate lack of insight in your culture from Hermes, just as I thought when living through it.'

Opening the jar, he tried one of the olives, and happiness and melancholy mingled in his gaunt features once more, though he did not cry again.

'I noticed you didn't take any pie, Melissa, do you want a few of these instead?'

She replied: 'One or two, please, I also have some very precious memories attached to the taste of real Greek olives. Could you raise trees from the stones, if you had your magic back? I love these olives, I try to keep from eating pie, I've managed to keep the weight I gained down, but only with extreme discipline.'

Though it seemed a bit early to start thinking of uses for his magic before it was restored, John did save the stones, saying: 'I don't think these will germinate, they've been salted and cured with vinegar, but I'll try. If I get my magic back.'

He did not allow her to rise from the couch to get the olives herself, he said: 'You are here to rest, and rest you will. I'm your devoted servant for an hour or so.'

And he sat next to her, savouring his healthy fare as the servants cleared away the remains of the lovely pie and the coffee things. Melissa still felt a bit uncomfortable at being in the presence of servants, having been raised to do her own housekeeping and serving.

Of course John, though he had been rescued from the street and wore borrowed clothes, had no such qualms, he had been used to being served for most of his long life, though he had no trouble at all doing without at their place.

At least Melissa knew that the servants at the manor did get their fair share of the pies and the cakes and the rest of the luxuries, George and Frances were more familiar with their staff than other noble families.

As John not only offered her the occasional olive, but actually fed it to her, she realized it wasn't the intimacy to him that it was in Victorian London. She was glad to accept some bread and cheese as well, she didn't want to get hugely fat, but it wouldn't do to starve either. Next time, she'd ask Frances to include a less rich treat for her in the fare, or she'd take a really small piece of pie without the cream.

'Thank you so much, John,' she said, 'you spoil me, and I like that. Will you sit next to me when you are done? I like your Greek ways of touching and caring. Did they get you in a lot of trouble when you were still entertaining ladies of a certain class?'

'They did, the ladies liked them, but it was clear they read much more intimacy in them than they are meant to convey at home. I know you are used to our manners so I thought it wouldn't hurt to spoil you as my heart says you deserve.'

He was so sweet, she was so glad he was not dying by inches somewhere cold and lonely. Taking him in her arms, she gave in to her drowsiness, and they both slept for maybe half an hour. When she felt him stiffen in her arms, she opened her eyes to see Ilsa and Tristan come right at them with welcoming smiles and some curiosity towards their visitor.

'Don't worry, it's just Tristan, I told you about him, he's very friendly,' she whispered to John, 'try to stay where you are, and I'll ask him to take it slowly.'

For of course Tristan was coming straight at them to greet Melissa with a kiss, and shake hands with the stranger.

'Would you please wait for a short moment, Tristan?' she asked their good friend, 'John here has had some bad experiences lately and he is rather afraid of men, especially large and powerful ones like you. Please give him a moment to get a hold of himself.'

Which Tristan immediately did, of course, and Ilsa waited as well. She looked good, her belly was as big as Melissa's, and her usual slim stature was decidedly grown as well. Ilsa did not have Melissa's discipline with eating, she was used to eating whatever she liked, and pregnancy was not a time to develop discipline.

They sat down, and as Melissa felt the tension drain from John's slight body, she observed: 'You look well, Ilsa.'

Ilsa replied: 'And you look tired, Melissa, you're working too hard. Let someone else do the hard work for a few months.'

Bowing her head in defeat, Melissa said: 'I've had to admit today that I cannot keep up anymore, it was getting dangerous. So I'll take your advice and start knitting little garments.'

'Oh you poor thing, no-one expects you to knit, you can still file or buff or calculate,' Ilsa retorted, 'or help me do that thing with woollen threads that you told me about, on a small scale. You need a hug, can I sit on your other side?'

This last was directed at John, who nodded, and as Ilsa moved towards Melissa and took her in her arms, their bellies getting in the way of course, John got up and walked towards Tristan, saying: 'I'm sorry for being rude, Sir, the fear is still so much stronger than me. I'm just a small guy. My name is John.'

'With very little flesh on you, I can guess what your bad experiences were. I suppose I'd better stay seated? To my friends I'm Tristan, not Sir, pleased to meet you, John, are you a friend of Lukas'?' Tristan spoke in his lowest voice, his friendly countenance enhanced by his lowered height and his quiet tone and mild words.

They shook hands, John showing a little anxiety but not much.

'I am, how did you know?' John was amazed, he'd be amazed more often at Tristan's intelligence and acute mind, the Greek gods ruled through a monopoly on power, not because of their leadership qualities. Though Tristan was a member of the ruling class by birth, and a really powerful mage by innate talent and years of disciplined study, his personality and thinking power had brought him his political eminence.

He replied, lightly: 'You're obviously Greek in appearance, you wear Lukas' clothes, you are in his wife's arms, and George gives you Hermes' olives. My guess is, you're Lukas' old friend from Greece, come on hard times through George's failure to keep an eye on you, he feels guilty and gives you his special olives to make up for it. But how Lukas found you when I couldn't is a mystery to me.'

That caught Melissa's attention as well. She had taken John back into her arm as he returned to her side, and now three curious faces were directed at Tristan from that couch, none showing any reproof.

'Did George send you out to find John when he disappeared?' Melissa couldn't believe it, Tristan wasn't even supposed to walk the streets of London, how could he ever find someone amongst the masses of people living in the streets?

Tristan quickly explained: 'Well, actually I ordered the city watch to look out for him, I thought they'd surely find him, they are everywhere and very observant. But though they sometimes spotted him, they never found him, and after a while George stopped investigating their sightings.'

This did get a reaction from John, who exclaimed: 'I thought some angry husband set them on me, so I ran, changing neighbourhoods every time one of them seemed to recognize me from a description.'

Shaking his head slowly, Tristan observed: 'You're good at hiding, the watch usually get their man, and George really spent days going over horrid neighbourhoods to find you.'

'I had a lot of practice running in my youth, my father's wife had it in for me and she meant to kill me, I ran from her for years and years. She had a lot more ways of finding a person than your city watch has.'

John had had enough shocks for a day, he was starting to wilt under all the fear and the information, and he was holding on to Melissa tightly.

She stroked him absently, and asked Tristan: 'George promised John to give him his magic back to make up for the horrible things he went through. He thought you might do it as a team, can you check him out?'

Tristan looked doubtful and said: 'I'd need to touch him, can you handle that right now, John? You look as if you need some peace and quiet.'

'I do,' was John's reply, 'but I really want my magic back, so I'll manage.'

For a moment, Tristan rose to his full height, took three steps towards John, then kneeled before him and gently touched his gaunt cheek. John submitted to the touch, but it was clear that took some force of will.

As Tristan used his sight, John gasped, for only then Tristan's huge talent was revealed to him, Jakob's circle had endowed Tristan with their magic-reflecting shield.

'You're as Gifted as a god!' was his stunned comment, 'how can that be?'

For a moment, Tristan didn't reply, he was busy trying to figure out the way the magic had been blocked by the Greek gods. When he came back to the now, he said: 'It just happens, John, some people are born with a lot of magic, and I'm from a talented family.' Then he asked: 'George thought we might do this together?'

Melissa and John both affirmed.

Tristan shook his head and said: 'I don't think it is a matter of several mages, it is not a very powerful spell. It is just very convoluted, very illogical, like a knot I cannot see the structure of. I suppose Greek gods don't see magic as a science but rather as an intuitive thing?'

This was way above John's head, but Melissa answered: 'They just will things to be and the things happen. I helped Aphrodite, one of the most powerful gods, remove a spell from Lukas' daughter, by showing her exactly how it was put together.'

Starting to understand the nature of their discourse, John admitted: 'You are right, Tristan. That spell Melissa mentioned, I just willed that in place, I didn't think it through. It backfired on me, Hermes told me the whole region worshipped Lukas before he left, a side-effect of my tying Katarina's love of independence to feelings of dissatisfaction and insurgence, her love for Lukas inadvertently becoming a part of that spell.'

Some pieces of a puzzle falling into place in his mind, John continued: 'So it was you, Melissa, who enabled Aphrodite to remove it so completely. I supposed it would leave bits behind, never to be completely removed. I didn't dare tell them, they would have killed me for sure. I'm glad you helped get it out completely, I actually liked Katarina and Galan. You must be as powerful as Tristan here is, and you don't show your talent either.'

He suddenly realized that telling this reminded them of what he had done, with the risk of them doubting their decision to give him his magic back. Caught up in the discussion on magic, he had just told them his side of things, not realizing how it must sound to them.

But he didn't regret it, he had been sent here to suffer for his mistakes and to learn to be a better person, and facing his past was part of that.

'I value your honesty, John,' Tristan said, 'it seems a clear sign that you have changed. Power will not come to you as easily here, and its use is not without danger, for it is a forbidden art that needs to be practised in secret.

If Melissa is willing to use her talent once more to unravel the mysteries of this intuitive spell to us, I think you can be free of it, without ill consequences.

She will have to be well-rested, though, it will be hard work for her. And we'll have to talk fast to get Paul and Lukas to let her. They are getting more and more protective, I've noticed.'

'They have reason to,' Melissa admitted, 'I have not been very cooperative, trying to keep everything as it used to be, getting defensive if they tried to dissuade me from anything. I'm going to listen to them more often, have them spoil me the last months, I'm tired all the time and overly emotional. I think I need to accept my limitations.

I trust you not to abuse your power again, John. I will help Tristan and George remove the block on your magic, and I'll help you adapt to the way magic works here, help you discover the science behind it. It's fun. And I'm afraid I'll have a lot of time on my hands if I can't inspect anymore.'

Ilsa embraced her friend, and said: 'You have the right to be spoiled, try to enjoy it. Mother said you'd probably need some new clothes as well, I've found this new seamstress, I'm thinking of letting her design some patterns for our factory. Do you want to join me when we visit to see her work?'

They made an appointment to visit the seamstress, and Melissa was suddenly very curious to check out the block on John's magic, see if she could unravel the virtual knot Tristan had seen. But she knew this wasn't the time, tomorrow morning was, when she was wide awake.

Soon, Paul and Lukas came back with Frances and George, greeting Tristan and Ilsa heartily. Frances wanted some more time alone with John, and they left for the greenhouse together.

As soon as they had left, Tristan asked Lukas: 'Why don't you just take your friend's trauma away? He's suffering quite a bit.'

Lukas answered frankly: 'I hadn't seen his fear, yet,yesterday he was very frightened of Paul, but he was delirious, he needed food and rest most of all. Then this morning he was much better, so I thought it was all right.

I realized only now he was still quite bad.

But don't you think it might be better for him to deal with it himself? He did very bad things, Tristan, and he feels some need for atonement. I'm afraid that if I take his fear away he'll find some other way to punish himself. I think he may need to forgive himself before I release him of his trauma.'

Hearing this, Tristan nodded, and said: 'You may very well be right, I didn't see it that way, I just saw a man who was very frightened of me, it is hard to really picture the things he has done, the crimes he has committed. Maybe he does need to forgive himself first. He doesn't want to wait to get his magic back, though.'

'Having his magic back will take a lot of the fear away,' was Paul's opinion, 'with his size he cannot rely on his strength to defend himself against anything. Though Bruce would deny that.'

'I've checked the spell your family put on him, and it's very involved, but not dangerous or powerful. I've asked Melissa to take a look at it, whenever she feels up to it.'

Seeing both Paul's and Lukas' eyes narrow at his mention of Melissa, he used a rather firm voice and said: 'You take care, gentlemen. You have fallen in love with a very strong and independent woman. She has admitted to working beyond her strength, and she has promised to let you spoil her for a few months until the baby is born.

But she will not allow you to patronize her, and you will do so at your peril.'

Melissa explained: 'You were right, I am tired all the time because I work too hard, but I needed to resist your pampering. I'm giving in, but please try to remember me as I was and will be again. I don't need protective wrapping.

How was the boiler?'

Lukas sat down next to Melissa, where John had been, and offered her his curly head, and she stroked his hair and his horn-bases lovingly. Paul sat at her feet, partly because Ilsa was sitting on Melissa's other side, and partly to show he was sorry for allowing their worries and her need for independence to spiral out of control instead of talking about it.

He got his curls stroked as well, and opposite to his usual manners he yielded to her caresses so totally that he didn't even answer her question.

So George did, in a way it was his boiler after all: 'They found the leak, and Paul sealed it with magic instantly. That was pretty convenient, for to weld it shut they would have had to drain it and wait until it was dry, and that would have meant watering with the pump for three days at least.'

From his humble seat, Paul observed: 'I never thought of using magic in crafting until we went to Greece. And now I rarely use a torch anymore.'

'And then we went to the boiler,' George continued, 'and it was indeed over pressured, so Paul let it vent for a little while, it didn't have an automatic vent. He's going to install one in summer, until then we need to check it regularly and keep the pressure steady ourselves. Actually, Frances is going to do that, Paul explained to her how. But the boiler is still good, it doesn't need replacing.'

Moving on to a new subject, George asked: 'Will you stay for dinner? And what about John, do you want to leave him here with Frances, get him healed that much quicker for being stuffed full of love?'

Melissa decided to show her men she did listen to them, and said: 'I am very tired indeed, and I want to go home as soon as possible, and I guess John will want to come with us for now, though it is his own decision.'

And so Lukas went to the greenhouse to ask his friend what he wanted to do, and George ordered the carriage. They settled on tomorrow morning to remove the block on John's magic, they would be at the site anyway to check the installation of the glass.

When that was done, things would settle down a lot until the frame was done at Paul's parents' greenhouse.

Lukas came back with John behind him, Frances having stayed at the greenhouse. They said their goodbyes, John now comfortable with Tristan's presence, and left in the carriage.

When they got home, by some unspoken arrangement, Lukas took John back outside with the small bicycle and taught him how to ride it, and when he had mastered the procedure, they went for a ride into town.

Lukas took the quiet roads, where John wouldn't have to face any people, and then asked him outright whether he wanted to have his trauma removed instantly.

The reply to his question amazed him, for John said: 'Please don't tell anyone, Lukas, but I can still detach anything I want. I choose not to, for I deserved everything I got, and I'm going to suffer every last minute of it. If it becomes bothersome to have me in fear or needy, please let me know, I'll take measures. I don't want to be a burden on you, and especially not on Melissa.'

Was that a judgement on him? Lukas wondered if he had really been trying to restrict Melissa, if he had been overprotective. It was just so hard to see her tired all the time, trying to keep up the pace of her normal life whilst harbouring a new life inside her. It was as if all her fears about being pregnant had come true after all, and Lukas had done it to her with his overwhelming wish to have a child.

'Do you think we're overprotective then?' he asked John.

'I've only seen you for a day, dear friend, how could I have seen enough to have an opinion on that?' John replied, 'I have seen both of you refrain from being protective, even though she was feeling the strain visibly. I think you did well so far, you let her find out for herself where her limits lie.

But now she has admitted she went too far, you both need to take care you don't rub that in and try to take away everything she values to protect her. Respect her, she's a fabulous woman who can still take excellent care of herself.'

Lukas nodded, and said: 'Thank you, old friend, I think you have seen it right, though you have known her just a day.

How was Frances?'

'She is the sweetest woman alive, I'm so glad she is willing to indulge me. There is nothing I needed so badly as a bit of love, and she gave it all. I'm sorry for her she has no love in her marriage.'

Lukas said, a bit distressed: 'She knew before she got married that George was not a ladies'-man. Should I stop seeing him then? I don't know if I can, he means so much to me.'

'That wouldn't help her one bit, for he would not turn to her, since he doesn't fancy women. But fate willing, I'll make her happy for some time, yet, I'd like to return to Hailee some time, raise a few children together, maybe have our own vineyard. But until then, or until I am certain I can never go back and build up a life of my own here, with a woman of my own, I will do my very best to make her happy by making love to her. For George seems to be a really good husband otherwise.'

'He is, and he is a very sweet and caring lover, he just doesn't fancy women, as you and Paul don't fancy men.'

'But you do love him, don't you?' John asked Lukas intensely.

'I do, John, when I threatened you with torture to find out where he was I was not exaggerating. You know I have the reputation of being benign and good. I would have tortured you without remorse to get it out of you. I watched Rhoda's punishment to ease the burning feeling inside me after having spent an hour healing the sickening hurts she inflicted on him. And it didn't help, it still burned me, and I didn't want to detach it for fear of losing my humanity. Paul doesn't remember very well, I took his trauma away. I remember every second of it.

But enough bad memories, you must be tired, let's go home.'

'Lukas?' Suddenly John's voice was different, choked with emotion. He pedalled on, but Lukas could see his eyes were moist, and his gaunt face apprehensive.

'What is it, dear friend?' he replied gently, realizing something profound was coming.

'Lykos, despite what I did to you, what I cost you.' John swallowed, this was very hard to ask. 'Despite me being a ladies'-man, would you make love to me? Just once? Because I have wanted to since I got to know you, because I love you as I'll never love anyone else?'

Lukas stopped his bicycle instantly, and John felt true fear, fear he had gone too far this time, had asked too much.

He stopped his bicycle too, falling in the process. Fortunately there was no-one else on the road, a miracle in overpopulated London, but these were the outskirts where not many came.

As he struggled up, getting his one foot caught under the vehicle, afraid to damage the expensive thing, he felt a pair of hands steadying his shoulders to prevent him from falling, then helping him get free of the bicycle.

He turned around to face his beloved friend, still very much afraid to have dealt their friendship its final, deadly blow, and found himself caught in a tight grip, Lukas was very strong indeed.

With a weird detachment, he noticed his fear didn't rise, apparently he trusted Lukas with his life, and he hoped this was not the end of that trust.

A hand took him by the back of the neck, tilted his face up, forced him once again to look straight at Lukas' cute face, now not cute at all, but on fire. On fire? Could that be the sweet truth?

Lukas did not speak, but kissed him ardently, greedily, and John soon found the courage and the heat to answer it alike, smelling that enticing scent of musk through all the layers of clothing on him, feeling his knees weaken.

That caused Lukas to break off the kiss in alarm, he feared to have smothered his weakened friend, but fortunately John was just overwhelmed, and in Lukas' strong grip he soon came to life again, clinging to him in desperate hope.

'Yes,' Lukas said in a decidedly husky voice. 'I do want to make love to you, at least once. I have always wanted it, even when I was nothing more to you than some kind of pet. I wanted to kiss you as I did just now, I wanted to stroke your gorgeous, big body.'

'There is nothing left of that, I'm afraid,' John said with decided sadness, 'and I'm sorry you realized I didn't respect you then as I should have. One more thing for you to forgive. But you know, Lukas, despite wanting this so badly, I will be desperately afraid the whole time.'

'I'm not like those men who took you, John, I promise you I will respect you, as I have always respected Paul. There are many ways to love a man without crossing his boundaries, and I think I know most of them.

Though Aphrodite showed me a new one that will just kill you. In a good way.

But not tonight, you're tired, you need to sleep. And I think Paul and me need to listen to Melissa, or share thoughts. Ophelie never had such a hard time, though she had her emotions, but she didn't work herself into the ground either. Let's go home.'


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

And it did happen as Lukas predicted. They had an early dinner, and after that John was desperately tired, so Lukas tucked him in nicely in the apartment, but with the clear permission to visit during the night.

Lukas stayed with him until he slept, then went downstairs to their living-room, where Paul and Melissa were installed cosily on the sofa, but with just enough space for one skinny goat-man left beside her.

'How come John is fast asleep, and you're wide awake, love?' Lukas asked.

She replied: 'John went cycling with you, and I had the best of naps on this very sofa, in the arms of the very man you see on my other side. And, John is the thinnest man alive, whilst I'm a very healthy, well-fed woman. Can't compare. Too bad he'll be totally fine in a week or two of expert feeding, whilst I'm going to have two more months of this ahead of me, worse even, for I feel full to bursting already, but it is going to get much worse. I'm sorry I can't handle this as Ilsa does, just take it in stride.'

But Paul was not going to just accept that: 'Ilsa has staff, love, she doesn't need to do anything except help George with the business a few hours a day. You work, do your share of the cleaning, get groceries, work magic on traumatized former gods, cope with two guys instead of one.

I bet Ilsa snarls at Tristan too, when she's tired.'

'I'm so sorry to put you through this, Melissa, it is so unfair that you have to bear the whole load,' Lukas said, 'why can't we just share it? We share everything.'

'It's not that bad, love, I just need to be a little more flexible, allow myself a little lazy-time,' she replied, 'you know it is actually quite pleasant sometimes, to just sit and dream, feel the baby move. And you're so sweet, both of you, I just have to make a lot more use of you instead of suffering you. Let you fetch and carry for me, let you spoil me.'

Paul was very serious all of a sudden: 'I wish you would, beloved, I feel the same guilt as Lukas, why do you have to go through all this, why can't we share? I want to make it up to you, beg you to forgive me for doing this to you. Though it seems Lukas was the actual crook in this case.'

He managed to make her smile.

'Actually, it is resisting it that makes it hard to bear, truly. If you can both help me to take it as it comes, enjoy the laziness, make much of me, tell me I'm still beautiful and be sweet, those two months will be over before we know it.'

'It will also be easier once the snow melts, don't you think?' Lukas asked, 'then you can cycle again, and lie in the grass watching the clouds chase one another.'

'So it's a deal, beloved, we do all the housework, and you do only what you like or what you are really needed for?' Paul asked, 'can I bring a lazy chair to the workshop, so you can watch us work and do a little filing or buffing or calculating?'

'You can, dearest, but I think I'm going to ask my mother or one of my sisters to teach me to sew or knit anyway. Somehow I'd like to do something traditional as well. Maybe you can run over one morning, Lukas, and ask my mother to visit on a day off?'

They both looked at her as if she was kidding them, but she really meant it. Somehow she felt it would be very calming to work on little clothes, and she was determined to at least try.

Feeling the subject had been talked to a good conclusion, Lukas decided to stir things up a little by telling his lovers: 'When we were cycling just now, John practically begged me to make love to him.'

The look of stunned incredulity on their faces was worth millions, and his face nearly split in his broadest smile, more of a laugh actually.

Of course that got him the usual kisses, how was it that neither of them seemed to be able to resist kissing him when he smiled like that?

'Man, you are cute, I can so understand him,' Paul observed with a fond smile, 'and what was your answer to that supplication of his?'

'Yes, what did you say to him, Lukas?' Melissa wanted to know, too.

'I stopped the bicycle in shock, and he fell off his. Then I took hold of him quite firmly, and he didn't flinch, and kissed him until his knees started to buckle under him.

And then I told him yes, I'd make love to him. I've wanted to for years, and he had wanted to for years. Even if he saw me as a kind of pet at first.'

'You knew? That must have upset him to hear.' Melissa was very sorry to hear that, too.

'I knew, and I didn't mind, even then he loved me very much. He was kind to me always. But you are right, it upset him to hear me say it.

Then he told me he would be desperately afraid all the time. That just about broke my heart. Why would he want me to love him if it frightened him?'

'He won't be frightened of you, love, you're goodness itself, you'd never hurt him,' Paul objected, 'he wants you to love him because he loves you more than life itself. He was ready to let death take him as his rightful punishment for hurting you.'

'I won't hurt him, I will love him until he begs me for release, and then I'll give him more. But I'll only give, not take, for that would make him fear me.'

'When will you do it, Lukas? Before or after we give him his magic back?' asked Melissa.

'I haven't thought about it, I thought I'd know when the time was there.'

'You're right, you will. Well, good for you,' she said.

That morning, Melissa awoke without a skinny shape in her arms, and she hoped John had slept through the night instead of lying awake, afraid but ashamed to look for comfort. But as she turned around to see Lukas watching her sleep, she realized he was not there, there was just Paul, fast asleep.

And suddenly she knew where Lukas was, and why John wasn't here with them. She hoped Lukas would tell them what had happened.

After some nice, lazy loving with Paul, they went down to get breakfast, and were soon joined by John. Just John. 'Wasn't Lukas with you this morning?' Melissa asked him.

John looked at her with a dreamy expression, instantly confirming Lukas had been with him. He said: 'He didn't want to miss his morning run, said we'd have plenty of time together. I think I'm in love.'

'Don't, John,' said Paul, 'don't fall in love with Lukas. He will not be claimed, he'll break your heart without meaning to. You know how he is.'

'I know, but it feels so good now. Can I be in love with him for an hour?'

'You can, but don't forget Frances because of him,' Melissa advised

'I won't, I'm still a ladies'-man anyway. But he showed me things, to think I wanted to be the master of love. No more, I just want him.'

'He didn't frighten you?' Paul asked, curiously, 'being rather, active?'

'He wasn't, he was so sweet, and so patient, every time I felt fear he soothed me. It was as if he could read my feelings.'

'He probably did, if you feel very strongly about something, he'll pick it up right through his shields,' said Paul.

'Then he knows I'm in love with him, and have been for years and years. No matter, I want him to know. He'll forgive me.'

But despite his mooning, John ate a very hearty breakfast, and when Lukas joined them soon after he didn't fall silent, but joined the conversation. They left for the Nomes' soon after, and since the thaw had set in and the snow was gone, they took the bicycles.

Melissa was delighted to be moving again, she felt totally safe despite her belly, she was so used to cycling by now that potholes and puddles didn't bother her anymore.

Once there, they sat beside John, Melissa ready to touch him, Paul and Lukas anchoring her. George and Tristan were there as well, and John didn't show the slightest fear of them. Melissa guessed Lukas had taken it from him.

They all linked and went in, Melissa found John's mind as vast as she was used to with gods. Tristan led her to where the spell was, and it did indeed look like a big knot. It seemed as if it tangled all the flows of power together, keeping them from reaching the pockets where it was supposed to accumulate.

Strangely enough, he seemed to have more worshippers on this world than Hermes had, or maybe it wasn't strange, with him being the god of feasting. And he was filled as far as he could be with love, but his pockets had been magically reduced so they could only hold a trickle of power.

Zooming in, it was almost as if they had been sewn shut, very sloppily, but effectively. Tristan asked permission to act, and at their word, he removed the stitches one by one, very carefully.

That took some time, for there were more pockets than just one.

Then they moved their attention to the big knot, and Melissa zoomed in once more. It seemed as if the ends had been removed from the pockets where they had been attached, cauterized shut, then knotted together.

They unravelled the knot first, and the lines automatically moved to their own pockets. Then Tristan invited Paul to weld the lines to the pockets, which he readily did, leaving the anchoring to Lukas. Melissa missed the green power diffusing into him, as she had seen it in Hermes, but since they had been interfering a lot already, and John had been without power for half a year, they decided it had been enough, they could check that out later. Let him get used to the amount of power he had, first.

Back into the now, Melissa felt really tired, of course. This was working on the edge of what she could do, and that always very tiring. She sagged into Paul's arms, drank two cups of herb tea from the red jar, the tea that invigorated after overusing one's power, then started on a lovely cup of coffee, and a tiny slice of pie.

Lukas and John helped themselves to the rest of the olives, John imploring Lukas to save the stones, and then everyone looked at John expectantly.

He grinned and concentrated, lighting up a lot, then showed Frances a little seedling he had grown out of the pip of an apple that he had found in his pie.

Frances was delighted and scandalized, how did a pip get left in one of her pies, that was almost a disgrace. At the sight of her outraged face he relented and admitted he had saved the pip from an apple he had eaten earlier, to demonstrate the return of his powers to her especially.

She hugged him, then abducted him to the greenhouse, to save the coffee seedlings first, and maybe recharge later?

Tristan shook his head, he was a Victorian born and raised, and an open marriage was something he still wasn't used to. Though Melissa was certain Ilsa had shared her bed with Lukas even after she had promised herself to Tristan. Well, that wasn't her business, and for the better.

Job done, Tristan thanked Melissa for the experience, and begged all of them to prepare for a testing soon, he was certain Lukas and Melissa would qualify for Master status by now, and Paul for Adept. But all three of them wanted to see the baby born first, and being in the same position, Tristan understood, though George said, rather patronizingly, that they'd better get it accomplished as long as they still had a little time to themselves. That would be over and done with soon.

Being lazy made a big difference to Melissa, she was less tired, and still got some work done every day, an informal inspection, some calculations, some hard thinking on scientific subjects, though clear thinking was getting harder, too.

And true to her spirit, Melissa did learn how to knit and sew, she made a whole stack of little garments. Somehow it quieted her to have her hands busy, and sitting still a lot of the time she felt the baby move a lot more, which convinced her she had done the right thing giving in.

She did feel a bit self-conscious as she only watched the men practise sword-play, especially every other week when they practised with the doctor and his friends, and she sat at the side, knitting. That was just not her.

But Adison sat beside her and observed: 'Your baby is much happier with you taking rest. You know I'm a doctor, and I've seen a lot of pregnant women, and though it is possible to just keep going as you used to do, it is much better to give yourself the repose, if you can afford it. No-one will think any less of you, it is hard work to make a new life.

'Do you want any children of your own?' Melissa asked her, 'it would be nice for Catherine to have a sister or brother, wouldn't it?'

'I'm afraid we cannot,' Adison admitted, 'I don't think Vincent can sire children, with his background. Most men without beards can't.

And besides, we have had a rough year, with a lot of danger, not just to Catherine, something bigger, and with evil witches on the loose and after her, to have another child stuck in the middle, what kind of life would that be for the little one?'

'You know my father is on to those witches, has he visited already?' Melissa said, 'and we've had our share of troubles, too, with nasty magics involved. If there is ever any trouble you cannot handle, with Catherine in danger of getting involved, you come to us. We know people, powerful people.

Magic runs in families, and most of those families are high-born. I'm not, though my father has a lot of magic, but Paul is of the highest class, and we have two friends who have political power in the city, and incredible magics.

I will not hesitate to pull strings if you need me to. We have even fought magical creatures, and Lukas was very adept at killing them: he reversed his healing powers, boiled their blood, with devastating effect. Remember this when times get rough, will you?

Are we in any danger now, for consorting with you?'

This thought upset Adison, clearly she had never thought of that. But Melissa knew that despite a few months of magic training, and several confrontations with a bunch of dark witches, Adison still had no real clue of what magic could do. Vincent and Bruce were formidable fighters, but in a truly hot spot Melissa could obliterate them with magic in a heartbeat.

'I'm not afraid, Adison, but if things get too hot for you to handle, please let us know, all right?'

'I will, Melissa, thank you for offering,' Adison said, 'your father has already visited and he is willing to help us, actually he says it is his sworn duty to help us, and he seems very capable, thank you so much for putting him on our trail.

A totally different matter, but may I ask whether you have someone planned to supervise your birthing?'

Of course that would interest Adison, she was a doctor after all.

'I have, actually, but she has to come from a long way away, and sometimes I worry if she will make it in time. Babies don't always stick to the rules after all. Of course Lukas will certainly be there, and he is perfectly capable, but still, I'd rather have a woman around, someone with experience in delivering babies.'

'If she doesn't make it, just send word, and I will be there for you. With our bicycles it's less than half an hour's ride. Few babies arrive within half an hour, and if they do, it is an easy birth that anyone can handle.'

'True, thank you for the offer, it makes me feel safe. I trust Aphrodite with anything, but she may be busy or unable to hear our message. She's like Lukas, she heals with magic. But of course you know about that, he tells me you are getting quite proficient yourself.'

'I am progressing nicely, yes, I'm starting to recognize some of the things he has shown me,' Adison said, 'I think I may offer to accompany him on one of his haunts, and do my own share of charity healing. I'd want to bring Vincent for protection, though.'

'Very wise,' Melissa observed, 'those are not neighbourhoods you want to concentrate on a patient without someone to guard your back. And padlock your bicycle. Lukas'd be thrilled to take you along, show you what he does.'

John seemed to have heeded their advice, lavishing time and energy on Frances, helping her to let the coffee seedlings thrive, trying to grow olive trees from the stones of Hermes' olives, growing other demanding plants, and just tending the gardens outside, where spring had arrived, and weeds tried to overcome Frances' beloved plants.

And as the garden thrived, John thrived, growing fatter but also more muscular, joining their arms-practice, not back to his old weight, but not drinking nearly enough wine to manage that, ever.

He worked too hard, cycled everywhere, joined Lukas in his healing expeditions, improving his magic on this world, much more consciously than he had ever used it.

When the special power of harvesting the living energy from his surroundings suddenly returned to him he was delighted, he could use ley-lines but didn't feel comfortable with the resistance large amounts of that kind of power gave. Apparently that had something to do with one's nature and the kind of magic one used: whereas she and Jonathan had never had any trouble using the feisty stuff, subjecting it to their wills and practising combative techniques with it, Lukas still wasn't comfortable with it, and Frances admitted she had learned to use it only after years of practice, and it still didn't feel right.

It seemed the mages who practised the milder kinds of magic, growing and healing magic, had more trouble taming the power from ley-lines than combative mages and mages who manipulated matter, like Paul and Melissa.

John shared his bed with Lukas regularly, and appeared really happy, not restless, not looking to return to Greece at all. He didn't settle either, he stayed in the apartment, but lived his own life, cycling where he wanted to be, which was usually Frances' garden.

Until, one week, he tackled their own backyard.

The carriage arrived from the manor, carrying Frances, Jonathan and a load of plants. Lukas and Paul were drafted for the heavy labour, and Melissa got to watch.

They cleared the whole yard of brambles and other weeds, and burnt them in a merry blaze. Then the gentlemen were set to work turning the soil, growling and muttering in Paul and Lukas' case, but there was no help for it. After that, the carriage made another round and came back with a lovely seat and a beautiful tree. One got its place against the workshop back wall, the tree was planted in the middle of the plot, and then Lukas and Paul were dismissed.

The rest carefully laid out a path, and then started planting.

The result was stunning, and a month later, it was even better. Melissa spent a lot of time in that garden, resting her body but keeping her mind and sometimes her hands occupied. For Mr Jones had not forgotten her, but set her to work drawing designs and calculating them exactly, ready to build.

John kept up their garden magnificently, and was often good company for Melissa. He had let go of his fear and of his guilt, and lived a small life, like themselves.

Melissa's time was nearing, and she was contemplating warning Aphrodite to be on her guard for a summons.

Lukas did go to the basement one evening and called for her, and they spoke for a few minutes, and when he came back he was a little out of sorts.

'She was so happy to see me, I was almost embarrassed. But she is sweet, and she promised to be alert the coming weeks, she really wants to help you deliver the baby. Katarina isn't due for a long time yet, time does move more slowly there.

I didn't tell about John, no use for them to know, she may not even recognize him once she's here.'

Melissa had one more week to go when a message arrived from Mr Jones. There was trouble at the glass-house, the owners complained that the boiler, the really large iron one, had functioned badly all through winter, failing several times, killing some expensive plants through exposure to cold. The manufacturer had tried to get it going several times, but the owners were fed up with the failures and wanted it working right now. There was still the possibility of night frosts, and they didn't want any more rare plants lost.

So Lukas and Paul went over there, bag of tools in hand, Mr Jones present to make the introductions and smooth things over. Eager to see another greenhouse, and expensive tropical plants, John asked to join them, and he was welcomed by the guys.

Melissa stayed at home, not pleased to do so, but really not up to any cycling anymore. She was counting the days, had a deal with a neighbour's kid to fetch Adison at a moment's notice, promising him an exciting ride on a bicycle and a few pennies.

As the men neared the greenhouse, John was suitably impressed by the design, and by the lush vegetation inside it. It really rivalled Frances', though these were mainly for show, and Frances cultivated mostly useful plants, bearing fruits all through the year, especially with John's magic contributing to her knowledge.

Once inside, John let himself be introduced as a floral expert, then set out to explore. He had no knowledge at all of steam and boilers, besides the things one picked up living with boiler-experts, which was actually quite a lot.

Paul and Lukas went straight to the boiler after having been introduced to the owner, who accompanied them to see how they would handle themselves.

The huge thing had been left burning to help their investigation, and as they neared it both men could feel instantly that something was very wrong with it, it buzzed with the emanations of cast iron that was flawed to the point of breaking.

Since Melissa had checked it herself, Paul knew it had been flawless at delivery, and the reason for it getting damaged in the first place soon became apparent. Paul had never seen it installed, but if he had, he would have raised the alarm straight away, for this thing lacked a pressure gauge, and a safety valve to let excess steam escape.

There was a lot of pressure on the boiler, that much was clear, but since it lacked a gauge, it was impossible to see how bad the situation was.

'Is it always this noisy?' Paul asked.

The owner looked rather blank, and replied: 'I guess it is, yes.'

Paul observed: 'This boiler is not safe, for it should have a device to show us how much pressure has built up inside it, it needs pressure to get the heat through the piping, but if there is too much pressure, the vessel can crack, or even explode. We have no way of knowing how bad the situation is, but I know the boiler itself is damaged, it makes a kind of noise that iron makes when it has developed cracks.

I have never made a boiler this big, nor one of cast iron, I prefer copper or bronze for boilers, but mostly because they look better.'

'How would you heat the glass palace then, Mr Kenwick?' the owner asked.

'I think I would use two medium sized boilers, that would be safer, and if the one should develop problems, the other can at least keep the frost out.

My wife did the inspection on this property, she checked this boiler for casting-flaws, and it was perfect on delivery. It must have been damaged by constant overpressure, so much hot water weighs a lot, and it develops a huge pressure. And because there is no safety-outlet, the pressure rises and rises, causing these invisible cracks to develop in the boiler.'

'So what is your verdict, Mr Kenwick?'

Paul answered: 'Without pressure gauge there is nothing sensible I can tell you, your boiler could be enduring too much pressure even now, and we wouldn't know it. It needs one at the very least, and it needs a safety valve, to vent steam in case the pressure builds too high. To prevent it from exploding, you know. You have been walking a narrow line, stoking a boiler with no idea what is going on inside.

And even if I were to install both these safety measures, I can hear the boiler itself is flawed, and cracked cast iron can fail at any time, again causing a safety hazard.'

Paul stood for a moment, thinking.

'Maybe if you can send for a ladder, I could check the whole vessel inch by inch, to see how badly it is cracked, maybe it can be repaired.'

The owner left to find a ladder, and Mr Jones quickly asked: 'Can you save it? Just be honest, I'll break it to him.'

'We'll have to check it, I can hear a flaw in it, and that is not a good sign, but I can sometimes repair cracks safely,' Paul told him. 'But Rupert, this boiler was not installed properly, without pressure gauge and safety valve, that is very dangerous, you should not do business with these people again until they start putting safety measures on their equipment.'

Mr Jones said with determination: 'I do business with you, these days, Paul, not with them. I just want this problem solved, and I'll claim your bill from them.'

The ladder arrived, a free-standing one fortunately, for Paul would not have wanted to put his weight on a cracked piece of cast-iron, and as Lukas steadied it, Paul checked every inch of the beast with his sight. The thing was still rumbling, but not dangerously so, or so Paul thought, for there was no way to be certain.

The emanations of the iron gave a certain restfulness to Paul, as he went over square foot after square foot of cast iron without finding any flaws. Totally concentrated on the iron, he did not notice Lukas' worried expression, or Mr Jones' rising feeling of restlessness.

'Lukas, is it supposed to make that sound?' he asked Paul's apprentice.

The young man answered: 'There is no way to know, sir, it seems pitched a little high, but boilers often make a lot of noise. That is why it should have pressure gauge. Maybe the gardener knows? He is out here most often.'

Eager to be doing something, Mr Jones went in search of the gardener, and found him deep in conversation with the little guy who had accompanied Paul.

They followed him immediately, and the gardener listened carefully and said: 'Sometimes it makes this noise, and I worry, for it sounds as if the pressure is building too high. I have let some steam out on occasions, through that screw over there.'

And he pointed at a pipe-end with a screw closing it.

'I was sure it would blow. After that, it was fine, but I guess they've filled it again for this inspection, it has been unused for a few weeks until the master decided he wanted it checked before next winter. They've lit the fire a few hours ago, so it is not at its peak, it can sound even more high-pitched.

If you ask me, that is not a safe place to be right now, I'd let it come to its peak, let off some steam, then check it.'

Mr Jones knew enough, this gardener might be willing to risk his life and limbs with an unpredictable boiler, but he was not going to risk this beautiful project for a few hundred pounds. They would just have to buy a set of new, safe boilers from Paul this summer.

He called out to Lukas: 'Better tell Paul to come down, I don't trust this thing, it's not at its peak and it has been refilled recently, but this gardener has always let out some steam to keep it from building up too much. Will you get him down, Lukas?'

Lukas shook Paul's leg, hoping to get him out of his trance, and fortunately succeeding. As Paul looked down at Lukas, a bit dazed from using sight on cold iron, Lukas said: 'The gardener says it may not be safe, it's still heating, and he used to let steam out on a regular basis, but the owner has had it filled again.'

'Better come down, Paul, it is a lost cause to me, I'm going to have it replaced by two of yours,' Mr Jones called out.

And just as Paul started to descend the stairs, the boiler cracked from top to bottom and the thing sagged into itself, spilling gallon after gallon of superheated water all over the place.

On top of the ladder, Paul was spared, but below him, holding the ladder, Lukas got splashed badly.

It was over in seconds, with Mr Jones getting Paul from the ladder, stunned, and John bending over Lukas, who was in a bad state. His face and chest were scalded, skin reddened and already blistering, his pulse racing and fluttering.

Paul was shocked to his very core, but seeing that Lukas needed him he suppressed it and asked John: 'Can he heal himself enough to stay alive?'

John affirmed this, not daring to touch his beloved friend for fear of hurting him even further, but trusting Lukas' strong healing Gift.

'Then this is what we'll do, you sprint home, stick your head through the portal and call for Hermes and Aphrodite. When they arrive, tell them what has happened. Pray they arrive quickly. I'll bring Lukas home. Go, now!'

Taking Lukas in his arms, Paul could no longer keep up his cool demeanour His beloved looked horrible, terrible burns all over his face and hands, his shirt soaked and probably stuck to many more awful wounds, his face still and his breathing fast and shallow.

Paul flew in a panic and called out in desperation: 'Lukas, Lukas, my love, please wake up!'

There was no reaction, he should have kept John around, John was a god, he might be able to do something, and now he was gone. How could he have been so foolish!

Magic, he could use magic himself, maybe he could heal Lukas, but how? He had never healed anyone, had always let Melissa accompany Lukas, he didn't know a thing. Lukas did not look very good, his life seemed to be fading slowly, and in desperation Paul called out: 'Lukas, Lukas, come to me!'

As always, that worked, his beloved friend opened his eyes, undamaged fortunately because they had been protected by his eyelids, but glazed with agonizing pain now he was conscious and could feel the terrible burns. The beloved dented mouth in the ruined face tried to scream, but no sound came.

It would not be long before he would lose consciousness again, this time maybe for good.

Paul whispered urgently, crying by now: 'Lukas, heal yourself out of danger, we'll get Aphrodite to do the rest.'

Seeing his friend start to glow, Paul linked with him, getting hit by an excruciating pain, trying to strengthen his beloved with his own will, and it seemed Lukas' body managed to battle the shock and heal the nerve-damage. Then he passed out again.

'Rupert, I need a carriage, right now, to my own home, quickly.'

Mr Jones, almost beside himself, collected his wits and followed instructions: 'My own is waiting, but shouldn't we take him to a doctor?'

'I have a doctor at hand, the only one who can save his looks, a normal doctor will leave his face ravaged.'

Lifting his friend carefully, but causing him to moan in pain despite his care, Paul shut down his feelings and ran after Mr Jones, to the carriage waiting at the road.

Within five minutes they were at home, where Melissa was waiting at the door, intensely worried but not hysterical. As she saw Lukas, she nearly fainted, but she managed to hold on and ran upstairs before him, opening doors and removing obstacles.

She spoke as she ran, an incredible feat in her condition, and gasped: 'John says they didn't come yet, what could have kept them? You can take him through the portal, can't you? He'll be back to godhood, and heal himself?'

That was a good idea, and they sped to the cellar, where John was still waiting, head through the portal.

'You go through, Paul, and take him from that side, I'll lift him from here,' John said.

'But time moves differently over there, I may come back too late to be with Melissa when she gets the baby. I hope she'll forgive me.' And Paul started to hand Lukas' still form to John, who thought the better of it and said: 'You are right, I'll go with him. Hand him to me, and pray for me, please. In Hermes' house with him and his sister on the way.'


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

And with that, John was through the portal in a second, his hands coming back in to take Lukas' legs. Paul let his most beloved friend disappear into the portal without him, kept on this side by his duties to his wife, but that didn't stop him from sticking his head through to see what was happening.

He saw both Lukas and John sitting on the mosaic floor dazedly, the power of their worshippers filling them to the brim.

Paul cried out in relief, and Lukas looked at him, face still ravaged, but in less pain already, blisters receding. He held on to John, who was in some kind of trouble, folding on to himself.

At that moment, Hermes arrived, and seeing his son in a terrible state, a thin figure that he felt to be Dionysus bent over next to him, and he totally misread the situation and readied a full load of power to hit him with.

Paul cried out again: 'No, Hermes, he's saving Lukas, but something is happening to him!'

Fortunately, Hermes understood, and let the power go, bending over the two new arrivals.

Lukas managed to talk to his father, and Paul could see his beloved trying to help John, but without luck.

'Stuff him back in here!' he yelled, certain Hera had played some trick upon the poor guy, waiting for him to come through the portal without permission.

Hermes did what Paul asked, and Paul hoped silently that bringing him back would stop whatever was happening to him.

Catching his small friend in his arms, and pulling him through the portal, Paul laid his still body on the bare floor, where Melissa bent over it, and urged Paul: 'Leave him to me, see to Lukas.'

Paul did so, and was just in time to see Aphrodite arrive. She bent over Lukas with an expression of shock and intense love, then took him in her arms gently and lighted up. She cradled him and kissed him, until Hermes walked to her and talked to her. Then he came back to the portal and said: 'He will be all right. Why didn't you come through, and what in the name of hell was Dionysus doing here, fully loaded?'

John. Lukas was fine, but John might be dying. Paul cried out: 'I'll explain later, we need Aphrodite, right now, through the portal.'

He pulled back and saw his fears confirmed, Melissa was crying now, holding John's still form in her arms, shaking her head at him.

'I have no idea what she did to him, he's still alive, but totally out of reach, I dare not follow him without anchor, his mind is vast, I'd get lost.'

Putting a hand on her shoulder, Paul said: 'I'm with you, go get him back.'

With a solid link to the now, Melissa dared touch John's mind, and she found herself alone in a vast emptiness. She could feel Paul's mind on her own, and looked around her with sight, a method that had proven effective in the past.

She saw a tiny light far below her, and imagined herself in Hermes' arms once more, speeding towards it, faster than anything on this world. Within a heartbeat, she had caught up with it. It was indeed John's being, but he was fleeing from something.

As she caught up with him, she recognized it, and whilst it was horrible to her, it must be the worst thing ever to John, and she knew for certain now that Hera was the one who sent it to him, for she had been the one to remove it from the original owner.

They were Rhoda's memories, of her torture at the hands of Ishtar and her minions, beyond sickening, beyond imagination, her torture of Paul, nearly as sickening, but worse to Melissa because she had never know how bad it had been, though Lukas had. The burning out of Rhoda's Gift by Aphrodite, later to be proven unjustly. And for all of this, John was taking full responsibility, letting himself be taken to the depths of oblivion, curling up in acceptance of the guilt. He was willing himself to death, he could not bear this load, and he was slowly pulling Melissa in with him.

Melissa denied it, denied his feelings that all of this was his fault, and his fault alone. He had not tortured the girl, he had not laid a hand on Paul, and he had not burned out his niece's Gift.

He had been the catalyst, but the evil had come from another. His sin was weakness, not evil.

She was a good talker, but her strength was limited, this was Lukas' speciality, not hers. She faltered, and Paul was moving to pull her out, afraid for her life, though she did not want to give up on the friend who had become dear to them, who had taken his guilt upon himself and tried to face it as well as he could. He was now losing the battle, and Hera was getting her revenge for nothing worse than his existence.

Paul was about to pull Melissa out, afraid to lose her to the despair in John's mind, when he felt a familiar touch on his mind. Lukas, and he was strong once more. Soon, a hand on his shoulder followed the touch on his mind, and whilst he stayed behind and anchored, Lukas sped to aid Melissa.

And after him, Hermes followed, not using Paul's anchor at all, and Aphrodite, also secure in her own power. But they were not gods on this world, why did they keep forgetting that?

Paul flung a warning to Lukas, who caught Aphrodite's essence, just as Paul caught Hermes'.

The three of them quickly caught up with Melissa and John, and against their reasoning and combined power, Hera's phantom could not win.

The vast minds of Hermes and Aphrodite saw through the situation at once, and with a few kind words they convinced John to not resist being taken back to the tiny cellar in Victorian London.

Holding on to John, they let Paul take them to the now.

It was a tight fit in the cellar, but the first thing Paul did was check Melissa, who had born the brunt of the vicious attack on John, and who was evidently exhausted beyond the physical. She would have a raging case of reaction-sickness in a minute, and who knows what that might do to their baby.

Paul was wondering if he could manage to carry her up the stairs, when Hermes picked her up tenderly, and easily lifted her up those narrow, dangerous steps. Paul did not regret being slower, he was strong but he couldn't compete with a god. This was safer for her.

Lukas was on his feet, supporting John, and Aphrodite was doing something to the portal, lighting up brightly. They were up the stairs last, and Paul lost no time filling a pot with hot water and the mixture from the red jar. Frances had allowed Melissa to take it recently, so he guessed it was safe for a pregnant woman.

Hermes had placed Melissa on the sofa, and was kneeling beside her, stroking her hair, watching her with concern. But that was not what she wanted, too often had she come back to the wrong person: 'Where is Paul? I want Paul!' she said, and he was with her in an instant.

'I was getting you some tea, my love, I'm here now,' he said in a voice choked with feeling. It was him she called for after all. Hermes made room for him, and Paul sat by her side, checked her power supply and found it depleted, so he topped it off and poured her tea.

Now Lukas wanted to be with her as well, and of course Melissa wanted to know how he was, this had all started with him getting sorely wounded after all. He looked reasonably well, the skin of his face and arms was a deep pink instead of its usual shade, and Melissa could see he was in some pain, but his face looked as cute as always, he would not be mutilated by extensive burning, which he would have been if they hadn't gotten him through the portal and to his aunt in time.

Melissa sat up, feeling a little less tired, and hugged the two of them all in one, kissing in relief that all had ended well. Or had it? For there was still John, who had risked his life for Lukas, who might not be all right.

'John?' she asked, and they all turned their heads towards where he sat in one of the chairs, still totally confused at what had happened, a sorry sight but awake and aware. Aphrodite and Hermes were sitting in the other chairs, waiting patiently for an explanation, not forcing anyone to talk just yet.

They did eye the guy in the chair strangely, for they would not have recognized him if they had relied on their eyes alone. Dionysus had not only changed his name, he was totally changed, no longer fat but very small and rather lean, and his face, framed by longish brown hair, was gaunt and quite apprehensive in the presence of his half-siblings, who had taken his magic and left him on this world.

As he heard Melissa call out his name, he replied: 'I'm fine, love, you got to me just in time. It was a trap, placed there by Hera, she must have set it to permanently seek for me. She knows where I am now, she may follow us here.'

That thought clearly caused him fear, but Aphrodite said: 'Don't worry, Dionysus, I've sealed the portal against her, we'll set that situation to rights when we return.

But first I want to know what happened here, how did Lukas get into such a state, is he in danger?'

Lukas sat on her lap and kissed her lovingly, to thank her for her healing touch, and to soothe her, saying: 'I'm not in danger, beloved, it was a stupid accident that could have killed Paul and me both, but fortunately didn't. I owe my continuing good looks to John, I guess. That is the name Dionysus uses these days.'

'What happened at the site?' Melissa wanted to know. She looked much better, the tea had revived her, and she was holding Paul possessively. To think she might have lost both him and Lukas was just gruesome.

'That huge iron boiler, remember it? It was cracked, and had no gauge and no safety-valve,' Paul told her, 'I was trying to see whether it could be salvaged, when it collapsed and sprayed Lukas with boiling water. I was spared because I was standing on a ladder.

John rushed to the portal to get Aphrodite, whilst I revived Lukas to get him to heal himself out of danger, then I took him home. I didn't dare enter the portal for fear of getting back too late for the birth, I couldn't just leave you, so John went, and nearly died for his trouble.

Thank you so much, John, for risking all.'

John looked rather forlorn, lost in the memories that had been pushed upon him by Hera's spell. He realized now that the others were right, that not all the responsibility was his, but still he felt very guilty and sickened at the detail of what had happened.

Paul caught John looking at him, and beckoned him to come closer. He knew the man had had a terrific shock, and took him in his arms. 'You're thinking of what was done to me, you saw all the gory detail. It was a terrible ordeal, John, and I hope the one who was truly responsible got her due, but I have forgiven you and I want you to let Lukas take those memories from you or detach yourself from them if you can.

There is no gain in living in the past, it is time for you to let the past go. You have a right to be happy again, and if your old world denies you that, we will help you get it here.'

Hermes looked at Aphrodite, who nodded at him, and Hermes said: 'I apologize for following Lykos into your mind, John. I was afraid to lose my friends, and took steps to retrieve them.

I saw a lot of your memories, and I wonder, why didn't father ever tell me we were half-brothers? Why didn't you?'

'I didn't dare tell you, since father hadn't. I thought he was ashamed of me, didn't care about me, he left me to be hunted by his spouse for years. Being denied my heritage may have caused me to act as I did. Or maybe it didn't. I know I was weak.'

John was as hard on himself as always, and Paul felt a real urge to soothe him, make him see he was worth loving.

'I also saw everything that happened to you here. George warned me against it, I didn't listen to him. I'm very sorry about what we put you through, though I know you do not even blame us for having nearly killed you.'

John observed: 'I know you meant well, you truly thought you were giving me a second chance, and eventually I did get it. I don't think I would have changed if your plans had worked out, I needed to really suffer to become a better man.'

Hermes nodded, and said: 'That is the final thing we saw, you really have changed, and therefore our sister and me have decided to speak up for you to our father, and plead him to reinstate you as the god Dionysus. I notice you have already gotten your powers back, how did you manage that?'

John did look glad to hear that was to be reinstated, but he seemed totally unable to picture himself as Dionysus anymore. He had truly become John, a man leading a small, uncomplicated life with friends, and plants, and love.

He answered Hermes' question first: 'When Lukas had found me by accident, days away from death, he took me to see Frances' greenhouse, and we met George. He recognized me immediately and felt really bad for having lost track of me. To make up for what I had been through, he wanted to return my magic, and with Melissa's help they managed.'

The look Hermes gave Melissa was one of disappointment, and he asked, with judgement in his face and tone: 'You and George removed a punishment I had put on someone for the crimes he committed against the people you love most of all?'

Pregnant or not, Melissa's eyes shot fire, and she retorted: 'You made a big mistake, Hermes, ignoring George's advice. You dumped a helpless man in the middle of London in winter, with nothing to live on, to be chilled to the bone for months, beaten, raped and finally to die of hunger and lack of love. You should have seen John as Lukas found him, days away from death, skin over bone, afraid of his own shadow. And still he thought he deserved that treatment. He only wanted to have his magic back to feel safe again, and to help Frances save the coffee-plants she had raised.

Wait until you see George, he loves you, you know that, but you were wrong and you'd better admit it. I'm glad we gave John his magic back, it was the right thing to do, and in a few years we will be drinking Frances' coffee every day.'

Hermes clearly didn't expect her to attack him, and he looked positively crestfallen: 'So George is mad at me, too? I'll have some making up to do.' That seemed to cheer him up, and he said: 'I am impressed he managed to do it, I thought it was devilishly clever of me how I had constructed that spell.'

'You didn't just will it to be, then?' Melissa asked, anger forgotten.

'No, I have learned some things from you people, I thought I had done quite a nice job. But George beat me at my own game.'

'Actually, father,' Lukas said proudly, 'Melissa did. She saw through it, Tristan did the subtle work, and Paul the reconstruction. It was a beautiful project.'

'Are you still angry at me, Melissa?' Hermes asked with an irresistible grin, 'if I admit I was wrong? Can I have a kiss? You are more beautiful than ever.'

He got up and kneeled before her, his beautiful face gazing up at her in supplication.

She could not resist that gesture, took him by his jaws firmly and kissed him deeply. His expression was one of pure bliss, and he did not say a word for a full minute afterwards.

Then he asked: 'May I touch your beautiful belly, feel my grandchild move beneath my hands?'

She nodded, and said graciously: 'You may, I'm curious what our baby will think of you.'

And as he laid his hands on her large belly, the baby did react instantly, finding Hermes' hands to move against.

Hermes was delighted, and spoke, clearly to the baby: 'If you come soon, I will be here to meet you.'

Then he hugged Paul in greeting, and his son, and finally he asked: 'Despite everything, will you give your brother a hug, John?'

And the smaller man smiled and put his arms around his brother tightly, for the first time in centuries.

'Will you come back to your own world?' Hermes asked him.

John looked torn, and replied: 'I don't know yet, Hermes. I have often dreamed of living on a vineyard with Hailee, raising a brood of children, but I don't feel like Dionysus anymore. She might not even recognize me like this, maybe she'll find me repulsive.

And I like being safe, I always felt hunted with Hera out for my blood, and I felt threatened by you as well, especially with Lukas about to come into his own. I realized he'd get his Gift one day, and a strong one, it was the same with me.

I love him, I know I cannot claim him, but I don't want to be a world away from him either.'

Melissa thought it was time for some drinks and some food, so she ruffled Hermes' hair and got up, and went into the kitchen to make coffee and tea. Lukas came after her to help, but first he held out his arms to her, saying: 'Come to me love, I know you must have felt fear, seeing me like that, and nearly losing John.'

She fell into his arms and let herself be comforted, then checked his eyes for signs of pain. 'It does hurt, beloved, but not as much as the thought of leaving you two behind. Can I sit in your lap later, to deal with my own shock?'

'Please do, Lukas, I want you close to me. Can you take care of the coffee and tea, I don't feel so good standing up, I need to sit down.'

As she came back into the living-room, John and Hermes were back into their chairs, and Paul got up and helped her to the sofa: 'I'm sorry, love, I should have taken care of that. Let me help Lukas, you sit down.'

Glad to be back on the sofa, Melissa guessed Paul and Lukas would do some private hugging, too, and they did stay in the kitchen rather a long time.

Aphrodite decided to taste coffee for the first time, and she really liked it. John had learned to appreciate the taste, even their own cheap brand, so Melissa was the only one drinking tea.

'Could we grow this in Greece, John?' the goddess asked, the name almost naturally fitting this new incarnation of the tubby god she had disliked intensely.

A bit apprehensive at being spoken to by the powerful goddess, having felt her disapproval at his constant state of intoxication and his pathos as long as he could remember, he only had to find the nerve to speak to her, for of course he had spent a lot of time on answering that question to himself, and he had long since decided he would like to try to grow it in his vineyard it if he ever returned. So he replied: 'I'm quite certain I could, even the special variety Frances imports. The bushes require a lot of heat, which we have plenty of, and they take a long time to grow, but we're trying to speed up their growth with magic and it seems to be working.'

She replied: 'Maybe you should return then, I'd like to drink this every day. Though I wonder if the kind of girl you used to like would appreciate living in a vineyard, pruning and harvesting.'

'Don't underestimate Hailee,' Lukas said, 'she really liked John before, and he is much easier to live with now. I think she would love to have him to herself and raise their children together. She was really concerned about him, she must be sad for him.'

'Is that the girl we offered guardianship of his property, but who refused?' Hermes asked his son, and when Lukas affirmed, he said: 'She does miss him, every time I was over there to see how things were going, she asked for him, whether he was still alive and doing well. And recently she has been all over the country, asking questions. If you decide to stay here you can give me a message for her, so she can get on with her life.'

That thought saddened John, he longed for her, and he longed for the heat of his homeland, but he had tasted safety and he was not willing to be prey ever again.

Suddenly he found Aphrodite really close to him, she touched his shoulder and said: 'Maybe she is willing to live here with you. We can always ask her.

Hermes is staying with George, of course, and Lukas needs to be with his lady, would it be possible for me to stay with you? I've shared love with the master, but never with his master, yet.'

'Why would you want to do that? I never got my good looks back, nor my spirit,' John asked, 'I'm a shade of who I used to be, and I cannot compare to Lukas' skills.'

'I find you strangely appealing as you are now, you used to be very handsome, but rather arrogant and badly groomed. Drunk, too. Now you look neat and clean, and very sweet and shy. I would like to put you through your paces, maybe tell Hailee you've still got it?'

Very deep inside his heart, John still had a little of his old pride left, and he knew he could still please a woman, maybe even more so since he really cared about other people now. A fire sprang to light in his eye, and he said: 'You're as beautiful as ever, and though I'm a bit afraid of you, I suppose that only makes me more appealing to you.

I'll take the challenge, Aphrodite, on one condition: when we visit George, his wife will not find out we're sleeping together.

She always has a hard time seeing George with Hermes, and she has been very good to me all this time, giving me love, and a job, helping me develop my skills with plants and the magic here. I do not want to hurt her even more.'

Aphrodite smiled at him, undoubtedly moved by his care for a mortal, and she held out her hand and said: 'Done!'

To Melissa, this was a great relief, she wanted Lukas close, and not totally absorbed by his aunt, whom he didn't even love that much. However glad she was to have the delivery of her baby in the hands of the goddess of love, there had always been the fear of losing Lukas' attention when she needed it the most.

Especially since she had met Adison, who inspired her with nearly as much faith in her ability to deliver a baby safely.

Could it be, that some people on this world had it in them to be gods like those who ruled Greece, but never came into their own because their world just didn't work that way?

If so, Adison would surely qualify, and something in Melissa told her her father was one, too.

But that thought was not a place where she wanted to go, so she left it and was very happy to find Lukas in her lap, as he had asked.

She scratched the bases of his horns softly, and gave him little kisses on the new pink skin of his hands and arms, as unblemished as it had always been, though very sensitive and soft as yet.

Inside her, their unborn child found the place where Lukas touched her belly with his face, and bumped his father with energy.

That just did for him, he didn't say anything, but his eyes filled with tears, rolling down his cheeks, absorbed by the skirt of her dress. Melissa gently stroked his hair and his face, breathing in his musky scent, looking at him with love, his cute, boyish face with the dented lip and the loving eyes, those slender, clever hands, his narrow but very strong body.

She heard Aphrodite ask Paul for a tour of the house, and she felt Hermes kiss her as he prepared to leave for the manor. Paul offered him a bicycle, but Hermes politely refused, he'd rather run. Of course he did.

The world ceased to exist for a while, as she sat there with Lukas, feeling him, smelling him, and feeling his child inside her, almost ready to leave his safe hideout and meet his parents.

In the living-room, Aphrodite asked Paul: 'Is she often dreamy like that?'

He replied: 'Yes, she is. From the moment she allowed herself to stop working as hard as always, she has been like that. She has even started knitting little socks and dresses, all boy's colours, she says he is a boy, and that he knows when someone touches her belly.'

'She's right, you know,' the goddess said, 'he is a boy, and he knows who touches him. He said hello to Hermes a while ago, and he is comforting his father right now. Lukas needs both of you, and Melissa needs Lukas a lot, she has put all her trust in him, he knows about babies, and he will make everything right.

That trust will make everything much easier on both herself and the child, so we should give them every chance to make close contact like this.

That does not mean that you're not part of it, she needs you too, but of course you know that, you are always the one she looks for first. Why don't you join them, and I'll get to know my newly found brother a lot better, it seems I have misjudged him for centuries. We'll see you at dinner, and then we'll exchange news and make plans. I thought you called on me for Melissa's birthing, though John's voice made me suspicious. But it will not be long, you will soon meet your son.

John had removed himself to the garden when Hermes left, there was no-one in the house for him to associate with, Melissa and Lukas were miles away, and Paul was leading Aphrodite through the house. He hadn't dared to accompany them, he still felt a respect bordering on fear for the goddess of love.

But sitting in the garden was something a man could do quite comfortably on his own, except that he usually couldn't just sit for very long. He always spotted something that needed to be done, and since he loved doing it, he usually went to work immediately.

This smallish garden had once been a yard overgrown with brambles and nettles, but two days hard work and steady upkeep had transformed it into his pride and joy. Melissa had spent many afternoons here, dozing in the spring sun as John weeded and planted and watered.

She often told him that he couldn't have done it at a better time, they would have even more use out of it once the baby was born. He wondered whether he would still be welcome here once that had happened, and he also wondered whether the time hadn't come to start thinking about a real future here, with a house of his own and a wife and children.

He had grown attached to Frances, though, and he wondered if he could keep working with her if they stopped sharing love. But John could not imagine a life without her gardens, her greenhouses. How would he fare in winter if he couldn't have green around him, and the heat?

He would have happily settled with her, if she had been free to do so, but Frances loved her husband, too, and her children, and her life on the manor with as many plants to care for as she wished to have.

It was not easy, and John would have been glad to move back to Greece, to feel warm again, and to make love to Hailee and see her adoring eyes on him. But she would never be really safe with him, too many people associated with him had come to a bad end, and he loved Hailee far too much to put her in danger. Hera would never give up on trying to kill him, he would never be able to hide from her on a vineyard, not even if he kept a low profile. She'd find out, and she'd take away all he loved, then come for him.

If John hadn't been working in the garden he would have had himself in knots by now, but somehow the work kept his body relaxed as his mind ran around in circles.

He would talk to Lukas, Lukas always had a kind word and some good advice, and he would spare John half an hour. Putting aside his doubts and his fears, he stored the tools where they were supposed to go in the shed, then sat down on the little bench and touched the experience of that afternoon.

Just then, someone sat down beside him, and a smooth woman's voice said gently: 'Don't touch it, John, just let it go. It is time to forgive yourself, you are the last person left who hasn't.'

Aphrodite put an arm on his shoulder and sat there, saying nothing.

John exclaimed in indignation: 'That's Paul's trick, you shouldn't use that in his own house.' Then in a milder tone: 'Want to learn how to ride a bicycle? We've just enough time before we have to make dinner.'

'All right, but first I want you to detach those horrible memories Hera put upon you, or let me do it for you. They are going to poison your mind, and you deserve better. So, what will it be?'

He thought about that for a moment, and asked: 'Will you do it? I still can't, but I want to be rid of them.'

'I won't wipe them completely, for then they'll get power all over again, I'll just put them somewhere safe. Do you agree?'

'I do,' he replied.

And she took hold of his head and slowly brought it towards her own, then kissed him intensely, letting the horrid memories pass his awareness again and again, until they were in the past, still there but free of the pain.

She was so beautiful, and so nice to him all of a sudden, and he didn't even feel distrust, he just knew she wanted to be nice to him because he was someone worth pleasing. Giving himself up to her greater strength, he felt wonderful, free of every negative feeling he had ever had.

When the kiss ended, he didn't even feel disappointed, it had been so good, it would cling to him for hours.

They got up and John unlocked the shed, taking out his own bicycle and Melissa's, and locking it, and the gate to the garden, behind them.

On the pavement he demonstrated, then helped the goddess with getting on, driving off, and stopping. She loved it, and learned quickly, and they set off for the same short ride he had had with Lukas.

Aphrodite was just struck by everything, the number of houses, the roads, the river, the view on the city, the huge trees with fresh green leaves recently unfolded.

'All those trees seem to have new leaves, was there some disaster that took them?'

John laughed and answered: 'There was, people here call it winter. It happens every year, it gets dark, and cold, and it rains all day, until the rain freezes and turns into snow. It will freeze you to the bones, until you don't care about anything anymore, you just want to go to sleep and never wake up again.'

'How do they bear it?' she wanted to know, then, softer: 'How did you bear it?'

She knew how he had borne it, had seen it in his memories: badly.

He told her what she didn't know, what he had learned since, what people did in wealthier neighbourhoods when the sun left and darkness came: 'They wear thick woollen clothes, even in the house, and stoke up their fires. They light candles and lamps, and sit at home more and read or make music or play games. And then they have feasts, at midwinter, and the new year, and they drink spirits and eat a lot.

They need to eat a lot, greasy things, meat, cream, gravy, chocolate, if they can afford it, to keep warm. The poor fare worse, they suffer cold, get sick, hungry, if they don't have a job to work at all day, from dark until dark, they lose their homes and go even hungrier and colder, until they die. Lukas scoured the streets all winter to help the homeless and the poor. That is how he found me, in March, spring already on its way, just enough winter left to kill me.

Still, when spring does come everyone is thankful and very gay, as I was, to have survived, to have food again, and warmth, and love.'

She wanted to touch him, but she needed all her concentration not to drive into a pothole and fall. Still, it was very beautiful here, and they went back on the other side of the river, where there were even more houses, and lots of people, but also better roads.

They passed a lovely building, made entirely out of glass, and John said in a weird voice: 'This is where it happened, where Lukas nearly died today. It is a lovely building and the gardener was very friendly, very knowledgeable.

But I'll be sure to meet him again, for they will need a new boiler after this accident, and this time only one of Paul's, with gauges and vents and thick walls, will do for them. And strangely enough, I'm looking forward to it.'

'Will you tell me exactly what happened, tonight in bed?'

'I thought you wanted me to please you, to prove to you I was almost the master of love, until Lukas outdid me a thousandfold?' John said this laughingly, his former fear had no power over him anymore.

'That too, yes, but I suppose the night is long enough for both?' she sounded so gentle, so interested in him personally, that he lost a bit of his fearful awe for her, and started to look forward to sharing love with her.

When they got home, the goddess found that his house-mates had moved from the sofa, for they were now at work in the basement, the workshop as they called it. It was a pleasant space, with some of the tools of trade Galan had, but very different products.

This society was clearly much more advanced, there were gleaming apparatus standing everywhere, and John explained what they were for in terms Aphrodite could understand. Of course, most of their uses could be replaced by magic, but people here generally didn't use magic, and use of magic tired the mage, whilst these machines didn't feel a thing.

Lukas was clearly very happy here, his accident not forgotten, but accepted. They used magic openly in the shop, Paul was working on a sword like the ones Galan was famous for these days. She had been present when they had thought up the process and designed the sword.

'I'm starting to get some fame for them as well, even made some friends and gained some fighting skills of my own through Galan's superior design,' Paul said.

Aphrodite still thought it a waste of talent that he didn't just make jewellery like her own necklace, though Melissa seemed to have a new one, copper once more, but with the horses frisking instead of merely running.

They left the happy family to go upstairs, and then she got to see the kitchen and the working boiler, as John really did make dinner, and Aphrodite helped him. Of all the scenes today, this one tickled her most, and she couldn't help laughing.

John looked at her mildly, and she didn't care what he thought, she just kissed him there and then.

He was still afraid of her, but then he had reason to fear her, they had not been good friends and she was way more powerful and connected.

'Somehow it's so funny to see you dice vegetables and peel potatoes. This morning I still pictured you guzzling wine and lounging in a large bed with at least three gorgeous girls.'

'I'm much happier peeling potatoes. I'll drink wine tonight, in honour of your visit, and though my bed is too small for three gorgeous girls, I may manage to fit in one beautiful woman.'

Did she hear some quiet confidence in his ability to please her?

That gave her a little thrill. Had Dionysus flattered her like that, she'd have felt a shiver of disgust, but then he had always been slightly grubby, and she hadn't wanted to know what was hiding in the folds of fat of his otherwise quite impressive body.

But coming from this incarnation of the same guy, half Dionysus' size, the simple compliment, the fact that he had wanted to pay it, thrilled her. His self-deprecating attitude seemed on the verge of being replaced by one almost flirtatious, and in this clean, modest little man the expectation was very enticing.

Dinner was very good, though simple, and very entertaining.

The time spent together had done wonders for the loving parents-to-be, and they were all outgoing and very witty. Lukas seemed happy to leave Aphrodite to John, and she couldn't feel jealous of his attentions to Melissa, this mortal couple gave him exactly what he wanted out of life, a lot of love without the fetters love usually brought with it.

And he gave as much love, and at this moment, trust as well, he was different again, more his age, the experienced father soothing his uncertain partners all would be well.

And John was exceeding her wildest expectations of him, he was flirting with her outrageously and she didn't even mind. To have him give her the best he had to offer as the person he was now was gratifying, and it was so much! She started to look forward to bedtime even more, she had always preferred large, athletic men, but Lukas had shown her the foolishness in that.

Would this slight man convince her even more?

Her husband was very broad and muscular, but because he was the only cripple in a family of perfect specimens he had never had the self-confidence that had once attracted her so much to athletic gods like Ares.

Lukas had taught her better, and when he had left her, she had sought comfort in her reticent husband's arms, and found a surprising amount of it. And passion as well, once she had won his trust he had shown her his true nature, and it was as hot as his forge.

He had been slightly jealous of the artist who had made that masterpiece that she insisted on wearing wherever she went, but since she could convince him Paul was beyond her reach and had always been because of his monogamous nature, he had come to just admire the handiwork and try to match it himself.

And the idea of just loving one person had rung a bell with him, he had never felt the will to share love with anyone but her, and now he knew there were others like that. They had had a series of good talks, and he could understand that she did feel a need to share with others, and could even love more people at any one time.

She had been perfectly satisfied to stay with him for the six months Lukas had been out of her life, and she had answered the call for help straight from her marital home. Realizing her love for Lukas was much stronger than his for her hadn't even crushed her, she thought of her husband's devotion to herself and decided to amuse herself with a skilled lover whilst she was here, then go back home to Hephaistos' burning love.

But of course she had already developed some love for the man who had transformed from Dionysus, and she would not use him casually, especially not since she now knew he was her half-brother and had always been in danger of persecution by Hera.

She would amuse herself, but she would do him some good, too, help him find his confidence back, whilst staying clean and preferably sober, no worries there, for he drank some wine, but just a tiny bit, savouring every sip as he savoured his food these days.

John was surprising himself with his own behaviour, what had Aphrodite done to him? He felt like a horny teenager again, wanting to impress the most beautiful girl in the village.

He had been very good at that, even before he got his Gift. Somehow, women liked him, had liked him when he was arrogant and boorish and yes, more than slightly grubby. The remembrance caused him to shiver, the state of his privates then, he just didn't care, he was always drunk. The girls would have him anyway.

But now he was modest and clean, and he might not be handsome anymore, he wasn't dangerously skinny either, there was some meat on him, and even some muscle. He had loved only Frances and Lukas in his time here, hadn't felt the need to share, his life was good as it was.

But to prove himself to the goddess of love, to touch that gorgeous body in heat, have her touch him, intimately, it did stir some of his old feelings, and he flirted with her outrageously and didn't even feel ashamed for doing it.

During dinner, she was stroking him in places, secretly, when she could have done it openly, but that was much less stimulating. It worked, for he felt heated and his body throbbed with anticipation.

To feel such shameless lust again! To be desired, even for a night!

Paul and Lukas washed up, of course, and until they returned, and some time afterwards, Aphrodite examined Melissa's belly, and told her what to expect. Of course she had asked her mother and sisters, but they were not very forthcoming.

Frances had been of some help, and Ilsa had talked to some of the women who worked at the wool-factory and shared the information.

But Aphrodite knew much more, she had centuries of experience, and the same thorough knowledge Lukas had of the body, only honed for countless years.

'How is your friend, did she deliver her baby already?' the goddess asked.

'They expected it a week ago, but it still hasn't shown itself,' Melissa replied.

Aphrodite nodded, and said: 'That often happens, it is not usually a problem. Would they be pleased if Paul took me to their home to check her out, say tomorrow?'

'I am certain they would appreciate it very much, they are starting to get a little worried,' Melissa knew.

They talked on, about the things a baby would need, and the things Melissa herself would need to take care of her body the weeks after the delivery, so the fever wouldn't get her.

Fortunately the guys were listening too, even to Paul it was starting to become more real now, Melissa was so big she seemed fit to burst, and sometimes her belly just rippled with their son trying to stretch his limbs inside her.

'Clearly Lukas' child,' Paul observed, 'he has trouble sitting still as well.'

Despite such dry talk on the least titillating subject ever, John still found himself rather heated, a pleasant sensation, for he knew it would be indulged tonight, and the anticipation was nearly as much fun as the deed itself.

But even baby-talk had its limits, and when Aphrodite sat next to him and kissed him greedily, right in front of everyone, he knew the time had come. He let himself be led up the stairs like an obedient child, but once the door had closed behind them he turned on her and kissed her at least as passionately as she had kissed him.

His hands stroked her firm body with her dress still between him and her bare skin. Then he led her up another flight of stairs, and showed her into the apartment. Planning to start in the shower, he loosened the sash holding her dress together, as she started on the rows of buttons of his shirt, a very smart, fashionable thing that looked really good on him.

His clothes took a lot longer to remove, but he was well-occupied feeling her bare skin, and smelling her enticing scent. She was just perfect, and he realized he wasn't, but she didn't seem to mind.

They kissed and fondled, and instead of to the bed he led her to the shower. He opened the tap, and she was stunned by the convenience of it. They stood in the warm flow of the water, and continued their fondling, now starting on the parts of their body newly revealed.

Aphrodite noted that John was much better endowed than his body-size promised, and she liked the idea, though she knew he was so skilled it would probably not have made much difference. Not a single complaint about his prowess had ever reached her, and gods gossiped a lot.

Filled with anticipation, she felt his hands stroke her breasts, and his mouth enveloped the nipple and sucked with force, once, twice, sending a flash of heat all through her body.

She stroked his soft, slightly loose skin with heat, dripping wet, and he kneeled in front of her and spread her labia with a very special touch that had her shivering even before he had touched any sensitive part they protected.

Then his tongue touched her, and together with his way of holding her open, she felt such bliss that she nearly fell. He caught her expertly, stronger than he looked of course, he was a god, even here, and helped her to lie on the floor of the shower.

He continued what he was doing, massaging certain places that heightened the experience, licking her with passion, showing such intense joy at taking her to a climax that she felt coming long before it hit her with explosive force.

And then he turned off the shower and handed her a towel, apologizing: 'I'm sorry, but the water will turn cold in a minute, the boiler is empty.'

He dried her very carefully, and she returned the favour, admiring the pliant muscle he had everywhere, so much more subtle than that on Lukas, or her husband, and so much softer and sleeker.

Drying between his legs, she enveloped his erected manhood with her mouth, giving him a tiny taste of what was yet to come. Now it was his turn to buckle, and she let him go and together they hit the bed.

Once there she continued what she was doing, and he worked himself around and between her legs again, venting his rising excitement on her.

He did not seem afraid she'd let him climax too soon, and that surprised her until she remembered he had shared with Lukas. He undoubtedly knew her special tricks, and counted on her expertise.

Meanwhile, she felt another high take over her senses, and a heartfelt moan escaped her, the release was so intense.

Most men would have been eager to thrust by now, but John remained very patient, enjoying her ministrations, bringing her to rising bliss again. But now she wanted to have him inside her, she wanted him to exhaust himself to please her, and he understood immediately.

Small though he was, he was very agile, and he reached places inside her that only Lukas had ever been able to let her feel. His stomach touched her in a very stimulating way as well, and she guessed that when he was still fat, this would have been one of the best sensations ever.

But even with a decidedly slimmer stomach it felt great, and she panted in extreme lust. This time the climax came and went quickly and explosively, leaving a lingering tingling behind that he exploited by speeding up, in total abandonment now.

In the throes of lust he looked like a predator, and she surrendered to him totally, he was a different man, size didn't matter anymore, he rode her with energy, and she shuddered under him. He managed to get one more climax out of her before he had a shuddering release himself.

She wanted him to crash on her, as Lukas always did, to hold his heaving body close and smell his scent, but he didn't. He caught himself on his own arms as if he was many times her own weight, oh, right.

'Let go, let me feel your body,' she whispered, and he realized he was no longer likely to crush his lover and let his body rest on hers.

She held him very tightly, actually moved by the feelings he had evoked in her, feeling his sweating, heaving body with relish, smelling almost no scent on his skin besides a faint soapy smell. He was truly fastidious. She must have leaked that thought, for he replied to her unspoken question: 'A remnant of my youth on the run: a strong smell can give you away. I lost it when I felt powerful, quite the opposite, I became grubby to flaunt it, but living in the streets of London took my feeling of safety so now I keep myself odourless again. If you want to savour me, I can skip the soap tomorrow, I won't let myself go grubby again but I can manage to do without the soap.'

She actually wanted to smell him, yes. And she liked how he just assumed she'd want to share his bed again, it was a tiny bit of his old self returning, to spice up the new man just enough to make him truly irresistible

'I'd like that, yes, I love smelling my lover's own scent. Thank you for your loving, everyone was right, you are very good. Not just skilled, there is more to you. I can't wait to get more.'

Again, that tiny bit of self-assurance, was it even a hint of arrogance?

'Then why wait?'

Since Aphrodite couldn't think of a reason either, she got more immediately, and it was just as good. And this time he did crash on her, and that was even better.

Sated, they let themselves drift off to sleep, until they heard a ringing voice in their minds, saying: 'I don't want to spoil your fun, but there is someone in the cellar who was not invited. I've told Paul before it is foolish to put shields on your house that can stop a demon, and then keep a portal in your cellar.'


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

They were awake instantly, no idea what the voice was, but drilled in suspicion as a survival instinct. Without donning a single layer of clothing, they went down the stairs as one, the closeness of their loving still with them.

On the lovely cast iron stairs in Paul's apartment, they met Melissa, also undressed, and totally unaware of that fact. She was stunning with her huge belly, but her look was worried.

She called after them: 'Paul and Lukas are already down there, armed, but if it's Hera, I fear for their lives. Better hurry. The voice is such as can be trusted.'

'I don't understand,' Aphrodite said as they almost ran towards the cellar, 'I sealed that portal against her, how could she break that seal from outside?'

John answered: 'I don't think she could, she's not that powerful, or she'd have gotten me a long, long time ago. Her strength lies in her subtlety and her connections. Maybe she sent someone to get me.'

The door to the cellar was open, and as they stormed down the stairs, power at the ready, they nearly tripped over Paul, who was sitting on the bottom step with a sword at his feet and his face in his hands. Aphrodite passed him by, determined to come to Lukas' aid, but John halted and touched Paul's shoulder, there had been no sounds of blows being exchanged, nor had he felt the signs of a battle of magic.

As Paul looked up, John could see he was physically fine, but had been struck a serious mental blow. Paul's face was white as a sheet, and his eyes were haunted.

John looked his question and Paul replied, in a whisper: 'There is no danger, just a shadow from my worst nightmare. Lukas is with her. You go too.'

'Aphrodite can handle her, whoever she may be,' John spoke with concern, what could reduce strong, bossy Paul to a broken whisper? The truth struck him like a hammer, and he realized he really did need to face whoever was down there.

'You call for Melissa, Paul, you need her.'

His face lightened, and with a clearer voice he said: 'Thanks John, I should have thought of that myself.

I'm a bit better already, I'll go hug my wife, put on some clothes and get some food and drink on the table. There is much to talk about. It was just the shock, you know, Lukas took the pain away months ago.'

He was standing and up the stairs in a second, sword in hand now, then in the doorway he turned around and observed: 'You're in for a shock, too, John, but not from your worst nightmare. Go! I'll see you later.'

And he was off.

There were still no sounds of conflict coming up the stairs, so John did not gather power again. Whatever did Paul mean with him being in for a shock? He knew who was there, didn't he? It would be incredibly hard to face her, but it would be a blessing, too. He was glad he'd let Aphrodite take those horrid memories Hera had sent him, or he'd be useless right now. But he was also glad he had them, for he would need them to face his niece.

A scene unfolded in front of him, in the small, dark space filled with people.

Lukas was also naked, and he was talking to John's niece, a young woman wearing a face he knew well, but with haunted eyes. Her body showed no visible signs of the horrors that had been inflicted on her. She wore a simple, short dress and was clearly cold in the London May-night.

Aphrodite held the girl's hand and listened to Lukas' conversation with her.

So far, nothing he didn't expect, and nothing to fear besides facing his own misdeeds towards his niece.

But as he stepped off the stairs into the cellar, feeling himself shrinking, becoming even smaller than he already was, a figure stepped out of the shade behind Rhoda and stood in front of him, and he felt his legs lose their strength and his breathing falter. There was nothing to hold on to for support, and he fell.

A hesitant voice spoke: 'Is that you, Master? Are you all right? Please talk to me, tell me you're all right.'

He heard his own voice say: 'I'm fine, Hailee, I just never expected to see you again.'

'I couldn't get on with my life until I knew what had happened with you. I couldn't find out where you were, until Rhoda came to me for help. I'm sorry, Master, I'm forgetting myself.'

And she prostrated herself before him, he had just managed to get his legs to carry him again, when the girl he loved, whom he wanted to raise vines and children with, fell at his feet and laid there, waiting for him to speak.

But he couldn't speak, he just froze in horror, had he really expected that of his worshippers, that they grovel in the dust?

He thought she truly loved him, as a woman loves a man, but all this time she had just adored him as her god. His hopes and dreams were crushed, but he couldn't leave her lying there, it was demeaning. John held out his hand to her, and as she took it hesitantly, he felt a shudder of passion at her touch.

But he merely pulled her back up, saying: 'I'm not your master anymore, Hailee, I fell deeper than you can imagine, and now I'm just John. I'm touched you looked for me, I've thought of you often, hoped you didn't despise me too much for what I did.'

'How could I despise you, Ma..John, I loved you. I still do, I'll do anything for you.'

John was devastated, the girl he had been dreaming of, who had kept him going in his worst moments, huddled into a ball in a feeble effort to stave off cold and hunger, being ravaged by a rough sailor, calloused hand holding him by his hair as pain racked his emaciated body, nursing cuts and bruises, even broken ribs after the latest beating, he had truly believed that somewhere, a girl loved him for who he was. And now she grovelled for him and called him master?

He had to swallow tears and even some nausea. Had he been so much mistaken?

But she had argued with him, shouted at him even, when he had allowed Ishtar in his court. She had had plenty will of her own then. And she had been concerned for him when he was struck by the recoil of his spell being broken. Had she only feared to lose her god?

Seeing him unable to hide his disappointment, Hailee interpreted it totally differently, she thought he had been hurt beyond happiness by his punishment, and tried to soothe him by behaving as he had wanted her to in his former life.

For despite being her own woman, and feeling a very intense personal love for her god, she had been raised to worship him and she knew his stature as a god was important to him, so she observed the usual ceremony in dealing with him, especially in front of other people, especially in front of Aphrodite, whom he had always felt inferior too, and in front of Lykos, whose sudden rise to eminence must hurt him to the quick.

And his humble attitude just strengthened her will to build him up, to show him her own deference to make him feel better, to give him the unconditional love he was due as her ruler and god.

And when they found themselves alone sometime soon, she would tell him the reason she had been looking for him so ceaselessly, she would confess to him that she loved him beyond worship, loved him as a woman loves a man, loved his quirky character and sweet, generous nature much better than his skills to please a woman and his ability to host a smashing party.

For she had reason to believe she meant something more to him as well, he had often singled her out to stay with him at night when the other girls were dismissed, he had confided his hopes and fears to her, he had tolerated her critique of him when he let himself be taken in by that ominous foreign hag.

Had she imagined all that, was she nothing more to him than any other worshipper, an unpleasant reminder of a time when he had eminence? He looked so beat in the company of his peers, were they the reason he was unhappy? She had always liked Lykos when he was still mortal and subject to Dionysus, and she really thought Lykos loved his master as much as Hailee did, she couldn't imagine him bringing her master down to this.

But of course Lykos had risen to a much higher status since then, coming into his powers, gaining a lot of worshippers, getting noticed by his father and his aunt. And of course there was the abominable thing her master had done to him.

All of that was bound to change even the most generous of hearts, though when she talked to Lykos just before and just after Dionysus had been taken, he had been just as affable as ever, though very much distraught at his mortal friend being taken.

Maybe it wasn't Lykos then, maybe it was Aphrodite. Or having his status as god taken away from him, that must be it. He had always been very sensitive to status. Well, she couldn't return his godhood to him, and he had asked her not to prostrate herself before him or call him master, but she could still make him feel better for as long as she would be allowed to stay near him.

Rhoda wanted to try and find a place for herself in this new world, a world where magic wasn't the basis of life, and Hailee had agreed to help her through the teleports with her magic, hoping to find her master and convince him to let her share his exile, sincerely believing him to love her, maybe not as ardently as she loved him, but enough to improve his lot with her presence.

But now she started to doubt her decision, he didn't seem happy to see her at all, she had given him everything that would have pleased him before, and he had looked embarrassed, not pleased as she had expected. She wanted him to take her in his arms as he used to, to kiss her with passion, to satisfy his every desire upon her body.

Besides being unhappy, her master looked in really bad shape, because he was naked she could see he was frighteningly thin, his skin an unhealthy pale colour, and criss-crossed with recently healed cuts and other scars.

Even now, she wanted to fall into his thin arms and kiss him, cuddle him, tell him she loved him so much it hurt, tell him how she had feared for his life, had travelled all over the country to find a trace of him, had tried to get information out of members of Hermes' court, at the cost of her dignity.

Not a hint of his fate had reached her until Rhoda had come looking for her specifically, with certain knowledge of where he was, and a wish to go to a world without magic herself, but lacking the power to use the teleports.

Reminding herself of what Rhoda had been through, due to the master's dumb mistakes, mistakes Hailee had warned him against, she found a semblance of control over her disappointment and disillusion.

Rhoda needed her support, she would have to face the master, who had gotten her involved in his foolish plots in a horrible way, and the mortal man from this world that Rhoda had almost tortured to death, and the gods who had brutally taken her magic in retribution, not knowing what had been done to her before her atrocious act.

Hailee had seen the mortal man blanch as he beheld the creature of his nightmares, he had not run, but stayed his ground, bright with gathered power, only giving in to his agonized memories when Lykos had clear control over the situation. He had not left the cellar until Aphrodite arrived with the master.

That mortal had a lot of power in this world, Rhoda would not have been able to take him down as he was here, Hailee wondered if she was afraid he'd take his revenge. But Lykos had assured Rhoda she would be safe, and get help.

Having faced one another in mutual silence and disappointment, John and Hailee both decided to turn their attention to the others, unable to face the object of their love under these distressing circumstances.

Lukas suggested they all sit in the living-room, take a glass of wine, and make arrangements to spend the night, then decide what to do in the morning.

And then the moment had come for John to face his niece, the main victim of the plots he had woven under the influence of Ishtar. He couldn't for the life of him remember why they had seemed even vaguely sensible to him, he had been drunk of course, he was always drunk.

He could not look her in the eye, those haunted eyes.

Rhoda did look at him, looked at him intently, trying to find a resemblance to the man she knew, and finding it difficult to spot. She offered him a hand and he took it, and then she followed Lukas up the narrow stairs and into the gorgeous living-room.

As they came in, food, wine and glasses were already on the table, and Melissa handed Aphrodite, John and Lukas a bathrobe, and both Rhoda and Hailee a large, beautifully coloured scarf of the finest, softest wool.

'You're not used to the cold, yet,' she said to the girls, 'better wear these for now, if you plan to stay you'll need different clothes anyway.'

Then she sat down in her corner, glad to be off her feet after the fetching and carrying. Paul sat very close to her, letting Lukas take care of the serving.

And he was a perfectly gracious host, talking Greek, which Melissa found she could still understand.

Rhoda took John to the loose seats, and placed him in one and sat herself in the other one. She said: 'I'm not here to make reproaches, uncle. Lykos, Lukas, tells me you were named John out in the streets. He tells me you have suffered a lot, and have greatly changed as a result, and also that Hera hit you with my memories in an attempt on your life, when you were trying to save his.

So you know what happened to me.

I can see you have been reduced, and I can see you've lost your pride, and I want you to know I, too, have forgiven you.

Not everything was your fault, my own hubris opened a way for Ishtar to take hold of me, as it did for you. You have paid, and I have paid, and she has paid the ultimate price, now I want to make a life for myself in this new world, where I have heard a person can lead a useful life without magic.

Lukas has promised to help me. Will you help me, too?'

John couldn't speak, he was just devastated by her forgiving words, so he nodded instead.

'And will you give me a hug? You always were my favourite uncle.'

She sat on his lap and they wrapped their arms around each other, John crying, Rhoda still sad but unable to let her emotions out.

From her seat on the sofa, Melissa watched the scene around her, holding on to Paul tightly, he had gotten a shock seeing his tormentor again, despite having had his trauma healed. He had not been able to talk about it, yet, he just put on some clothes, asked her to help carry out drinks and some food for their guests, then sat beside her in silence, watching everything that was going on.

She knew he was not suffering, just a bit shaken, and they would talk later. For now, they watched, as John listened to his niece, then held her in his arms as she sat on his lap. Melissa supposed he had been forgiven.

Aphrodite was talking to the other girl, Paul had mentioned she was the one John was in love with, but hadn't expected to ever see again. Melissa couldn't see any sign of an agreement between her and John, though the girl looked at him a lot. His attention was totally taken up by Rhoda, which was normal considering the circumstances.

Lukas filled glasses and put them on the table in front of everyone, then sat on Paul's other side, undoubtedly to give him his support as well. He started to stroke Paul's curly hair, and his stubbled jaw, still locked with tension. Paul tried to let go of the tension, but didn't manage just yet, so he let himself be comforted and waited for what was coming.

To Aphrodite, who had just gotten to know John a lot better, Hailee was an interesting object. She knew John loved her, was dreaming of a future with her, but the goddess feared he had an idealistic image of the girl. Their relationship had been one of dependence on her side, and it was very likely that she only loved him because she worshipped him, that her admiration for him was the fawning dependence of a mortal on a god.

And somehow she was sure that was not the relationship John was dreaming of, he had talked of him and her being together as man and wife, not god and adoring subject. Frankly, Aphrodite wondered if John could ever be a god again, he had been brought so low, his pride and self-confidence had suffered such a huge blow.

She knew he longed for the heat of Greece, and for nature and space to live in, but she seriously thought he would not want to be the centre of attention ever again, nor the subject of adoration and worship. Much like Lykos, though John had once craved it as Dionysus.

It was clear the girl was a bit afraid of her, so she set out to make her comfortable first. 'I know you came for Dionysus, or John, as we call him now, but you understand that he needs to talk to Rhoda, don't you?'

The girl lowered her eyes and said: 'Of course, Mistress, they have much to talk about.'

'So we may as well get to know each other a bit better in the meantime. You may call me Aphrodite in this world, Hailee, we're equals here. Do you mean to stay?'

'I just want to be with my mast...with John. If he wants me to, I will stay with him, he seems so unhappy, he needs someone to lift him up and do him justice. He told me I couldn't call him master anymore, and not to honour him. What can I do for him if I cannot worship him?'

There seemed to be a little problem here, John saw this girl as her own woman, but to Aphrodite she seemed like a burden from his old life. He'd better decide what he wanted to do, soon, for if he stayed, the girl would be better off returning with Hermes and herself, someone this dependent would not fare well in London.

'I don't think he's doing all that badly, Hailee, he seems quite satisfied with his life here. Of course you see him unhappy now, he was confronted with Rhoda, who suffered a lot because of his foolish actions.

You love him a lot, don't you?'

Her face fell a little, thinking of how he had received her, and she admitted: 'So much it hurts. He is my ruler and my god, and I want to give myself to him.'

Actually, she loved him even more than that, she wanted him to see her as partner, as an equal, but she was not going to admit that to a goddess, Hailee knew her place and the only person she was ever going to admit the true nature of her love to, was her master. If she thought she had even the least chance of his returning her love.

Aphrodite meanwhile, was totally convinced the girl had no will to speak of, and that would make the coming days very hard on her, seeing her master in a very humble position, working for a living and doing house-work.

Besides, she was not planning to make way for a gorgeous body without brain, her appetite for John's gentle love had been whetted, and she was going to spend the time until the baby's birth making the most of it, shared only with the mysterious Frances, whom he felt he owed a sizeable debt of honour.

Let the girl find some character first. But she was a sweet little thing, and Aphrodite didn't want her to be miserable, so she said: 'Hailee, if you want to make John happy, why don't you learn as much as you can of this world, and do your best to fit in. Get to know the language, and the morals, and find something you like to do and are good at, John works for a living here, and if you stay here, you will need to do so, too. Everyone will be pleased to help you, I'm sure, and you will soon see that John isn't as unhappy nor as unloved as you fear. Can you do that?'

It worked, for the girl smiled and answered: 'I'm sure I can, I'll try to help wherever I can, and you say John doesn't want me to honour him?'

'Not obviously, no, if you want to be nice, help him and listen to him, but do not show any signs of worship, for they will not please him.'

John and Rhoda were done talking for now, they had taken the first step, and they would spend a lot more time together the coming days. And now there was one very difficult thing Rhoda had to do without delay, something that made her tremble and want to hide somewhere even to think about. She had to face Paul.

She had felt him watching her now and then, clinging to his woman and Lukas, trying to face the certainty of having to meet her, having her under his roof. It would be better for him if she left now, but to have any chance of a life she needed to stay here where no-one knew her sin and her shame, and her being without magic didn't count.

Melissa felt Paul tense beside her, she had also observed the change in the conversation around them, all that would be said tonight between John and Rhoda had been said, and before they could talk of sleeping arrangements she would have to face Paul. And he would have to face her.

Meanwhile, Paul was fighting a battle against himself.

Part of him wanted the woman to leave, her face constantly flashed before him in a snarling rage, inflicting yet more pain on him. Paul's mind knew she had not been sane, but still he didn't think it was fair to expect him to just give up space in his home, his safe little palace, to her.

But another part of him knew that John and Lukas, one a dear friend, one so much more, needed to atone to her, and for that she needed to be part of their circle. Besides, he was not going to let fear rule his life, was he? She had no magic and little will left, he was strong here.

He had forgiven John for his misdeeds, but actually John was much more to blame than this young woman, a girl even. He really should forgive her, even though he still saw that enraged face before him, the certainty of his death written in every feature.

Could he forgive her, in his own home, feeling love on both sides of him, their baby on the way, his life so much better than he had ever imagined it? Could he let those images go? He hadn't seen them for months, Lukas had detached them very expertly. It was just seeing her face that brought them back momentarily.

Actually he had forgiven her, quite some time ago. He just never wanted to see her again, that was a totally different matter.

She knew what was coming, too. Her face was not snarling, not even neutral, she was in mental agony. He suddenly realized she was suffering precisely the same memories right now, only from the other side. She must be seeing him before her, eyes glazed in pain, desperate, blood everywhere. Those memories must be as bad or worse.

He knew what he had to do, and summoned his courage, then got up, walked towards her and asked: 'Do you want me to show you the house? I've made everything myself, I'm very proud of it.'

That friendly question hit her like a bolt from the sky, she could not look at him, but she did speak, and in a choked voice she said: 'It was a mistake to come here, I can't ever look at you, every time I see you I...

I don't know why I let myself believe I would have a new chance here, it was foolish and selfish, to force you to look at my face again even once.

I'm so very sorry, for what I did to you, but also for coming here and raking up your memories.'

There would not be another moment like this, and, moved by Rhoda's self-recrimination and obvious remorse, Paul suddenly found the peace of mind to touch her cheek and gently move her to face him.

'Maybe it will help if you look at me as I say this: Rhoda, I forgive you.'

All the fear and the apprehension had left his face, he was now a paragon of peace. His hand did not pull back, it rested on her cheek, and he felt her tremble under his touch.

Slowly, her eyes filled up and overflowed, and seeing her face in this emotional release replaced his image of her, as seeing his in total peace was quickly replacing hers.

No longer was she his tormentor to him, she was now a young girl who had a life-time of horrific experiences to process, and he felt free to receive her in his arms to finally let out her grief and fears.

Melissa kept a close eye on her husband, almost unable to believe that he had let go of his fear all of a sudden, but amazed by the greatness of his heart.

That moment was so intense, that she felt a bit embarrassed to be watching it, so she forced herself to look somewhere else, leave the girl be. So she watched John instead.

She wondered why John didn't seem happier to have Hailee within reach, after Rhoda had left him he didn't show any inclination to sit with the girl he professed to love. And the girl didn't move towards him either, she seemed afraid to disturb him, was she so terribly shy, or had something happened?

Catching her looking at him, and feeling some need to share his disappointment, he sat next to Melissa and said: 'Your husband must be the bravest man alive. I lived Rhoda's memories of what she did to him, and there he is holding her against him.'

Proudly she observed: 'Isn't he just? I chased him for months until I had him, but I never once regretted it.'

'And Lukas, did you chase him?' John asked.

'No,' was her reply, 'he fell into my living-room, and worked himself into our hearts slowly but surely. He is so cute and good, I couldn't help loving him. Still can't, but I know by now I'm not the only one who can't.'

'You are just the only one he loves back,' John retorted.

'No, we're not, he loves a lot of people, but somehow he always returns to us, and I couldn't do without him anymore.'

She changed the subject bluntly: 'What's up with you and Hailee, why aren't you in each others arms in total bliss?'

'I'm afraid I was totally mistaken about what she felt for me. When she saw me, she called me master and prostrated herself.'

Seeing Melissa's face, John almost laughed, and he said: 'I have nothing to say in my own defence, except that it is a traditional way to worship a god, and that I asked her not to do that anymore, neither of those things.

She was devastated. I thought she was a real person, a woman who loved me at least a little bit for myself, but I'm afraid she only worshipped me, in which case she will be only too happy to go back through the portal with Hermes and Aphrodite once your little one is born. She'll find another god to worship, I guess Hermes takes on new worshippers gladly. He's better looking than me in any case. Don't know about his prowess, though.'

Laughing, Melissa said: 'Oh he's good. No Lukas of course, but very gentle and very skilled.'

John did a pretty good likeness of a fish, and gasped: 'You...and Hermes?'

'He was after me steadily since the day he came here, and I kind of liked him, so we decided it was best if I indulged him once. Get it out of his system, so to speak. He hasn't, yet, and I have found a kind of love for him somewhere, but it's easy to resist here, George takes up most of his time anyway.'

'You decided together that you'd indulge him?'

'Sure, if either of the guys had objected, I wouldn't have done it.' Melissa thought it quite funny, apparently.

'You are so clearly from another world, Melissa. Maybe I've been spoiled by your independence, yours and Frances'. Hailee wouldn't think of refusing me anything. I used to think that my due, but living here has changed me, now I don't even want the worship anymore. I want real love.'

Now Melissa turned serious, and observed: 'Maybe you should give her some time, John. She has been afraid for you for half a year, searched for you, feared you were dead.

And now she finally finds you, and you've changed beyond recognition. So she does what used to please you, and you reject her for it. Maybe you can accept just a tiny bit of worship from her? Until she adapts?'

It was clear that was not very palatable to him, and he replied: 'But it's demeaning for her, and embarrassing for me.'

'Indulge her, John, she has always given you everything you wanted, now you give her leave to worship you. Seeing you water plants and pot seedlings at Frances' directions will cure her of it.'

'All right, Mistress, I will,' John said solemnly, bowing deeply.

At her accusing look, he said cheekily: 'Just checking how you'd like it.'

And without consulting her men she decided to kiss him heartily, full on his mouth, leaving him a little dazed. Mortal or not, that was some kind of woman.

When Rhoda had cried herself out, she was very tired, and Paul decided it was time to find a bed for both girls, and he motioned them to follow him. Rhoda did so with tired relief, but Hailee was not happy with how things went, she hadn't spoken to her master at all, and there was so much she yearned to hear from him.

As she followed Paul reluctantly, Melissa decided to intervene on her behalf, and she gave John a decided hint to do something. He took it, and said: 'Can we have just one short moment to say goodnight, Paul? Hailee has feared for my life for a long time, and I haven't had a moment to spare for her.'

He held out his arms and she fell into them, clinging to his fleshless chest, expecting to relish his comfortable smell but finding nothing, just a hint of soap. Despite his disappointment in his former favourite, the touch of her body against his caused him to shiver. The attraction was still there, but he feared it was based solely on memories.

'Good night, dear Mast..sorry.' Her eyes were filling and her face was a study in disappointment. Relenting, John said: 'Never mind, love, just try but don't apologize if it won't come out yet. You'll get used to it in time. We'll have a nice long chat tomorrow. Good night!'

As he saw her leave with Paul, up the stairs, to an unknown room, he felt immensely sorry for... he didn't know what for, actually. He had had such glorious dreams of the two of them sharing their lives, but they had been dreams. He had thought her out of reach, yet here she was, but the dream of being together was still that, just a dream.

He sighed, and Aphrodite was with him in a second, wrapping him in her arms from behind, saying: 'Never mind, either she'll adapt, or she won't. Just don't set your sights on her too firmly, she may be a born worshipper, she has shown very little independent thought so far, and without that she'll never make it here. Let's turn in, and see what tomorrow will bring.'

'She argued with me, shouted at me, told me I'd be sorry if I let Ishtar in my life. She was right! She had a brain and she had guts, where did they go?'

Still shaking his head, John went up the stairs and up another flight to the apartment, with Aphrodite following him in anticipation of more gentle loving. This was going to be an interesting week, she was certain she would not be bored at all.

Lukas cleared up the mess and took Melissa upstairs, where they met Paul, who came from the little room behind the privy with a very decided yawn.

'I don't know about you two, loves of my life, but I'm dead tired and very ready to sleep,' he said. I'm glad I cleared out that little room for Aphrodite, I didn't expect her to share with John, of all people. She used to really dislike him, didn't she?'

'Yes, and he was very much afraid of her. Somehow he gained a lot of courage, that little man,' Lukas said admiringly.

'And you always were the bravest man on this world, Paul, but tonight I was more proud of you than ever.' Melissa reached out to him and stroked his cheek.

His face fell for a moment, and he said: 'It wasn't easy, beloved, it really wasn't. But having forgiven John, I couldn't refuse her, she could help it even less. But I kept seeing her...

And then I looked at her and realized she kept seeing me, and would keep seeing me like that until we both got another image of the same face to replace that one. It worked for me, I hope it works for her.'

And then they really did turn in, and they held on to each other until Paul lost his tension. Slowly drifting off, Paul heard a ringing voice in his head say: 'I still think it is a mulish thing to do, shield your house and keep a portal in the cellar.' And the other voice, the one they usually didn't hear: 'But it's their own choice love, they'll probably do something about it in the morning.'

And he made a mental note of that, to top his to-do list, then said sleepily: 'Thanks guys, for saving our skins again. Sorry we cannot repay you with some entertainment, just too tired.'

The male voice smirked: 'Never mind, your tenant is making up for that totally. I think he's my new favourite. Too bad you don't like guys, you really should try him, him and Lukas is just smoking together.'

'I heard that,' said a sleepy voice on his right, 'thanks. Am I still the master, or have I been replaced?'

'You're still it, I'm sorry we didn't get to see you in action with the goddess of love.'

A big yawn, and then: 'She's not leaving yet, you may still get the chance.'

And then Paul fell asleep, so he didn't hear the rest of that outrageous conversation.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Incredibly, Paul and Lukas got some work done the next morning, whilst Melissa did her very best to arrange Victorian clothing for no less than three women. Of course, none of Melissa's stuff would fit either of them, so John offered to cycle to the manor to see if Frances had some of her own or her daughters that she could loan them.

He returned with a beautiful gown for Aphrodite, and two slightly more modest ones for the two young women. Several older dresses were included to work in, for the girls wanted to share in everything to learn to fit in, and Aphrodite needed something to be midwife in. Frances was going to pick them up after lunch to visit Ilsa, eager to have a really experienced healer check out her daughter.

They had a fabulous time trying on Victorian dresses, though they had some trouble to get all the layers right. Melissa helped them, and lent them the woollen shawls of Katarina's make until they got used to the cold, though it was May already and not a cold one.

After that, she spent time with the guys, watching them work and putting in her own little effort. Aphrodite joined her for some time, watching the contours of her body to see whether the baby was readying itself for the birth.

John spent a lot of time with both girls, working in the garden and teaching them how to ride a bicycle, but he avoided being alone with Hailee. He accepted her devotion graciously, treating her with gentle kindness, but not with desire or love. Her touch still gave him a shock, but he ignored it, it was just the past speaking.

Of course this hurt Hailee immensely, as well as seeing the master exchange little intimacies with Aphrodite, who was clearly just using him to entertain herself whilst she was here. But the girl had always been used to share her god with at least one other girl, and anyway, she had no claim her master, he was way above her. She bore her fate in silence, but was starting to feel a little sorry had come. She soon came to the conclusion that her master was indeed fine, even happy, keeping the little garden immaculate, he even did part of the housework, not because Melissa couldn't because of her pregnancy, but because they all shared.

'Melissa makes most of the money in this household,' he said, 'or at least had the most steady income, until she put it on hold to give the baby the best chance to grow. And even now she is sometimes fetched with a carriage to check some building materials or a large structure. She hates cooking, so we do that in turns, and she does something else. We all pitch in.'

Hailee felt insulted that her god had to do such demeaning work, but the master didn't seem to mind at all, he relished it. To be close to him, she let him explain everything in the garden, all the little plants, all the tools, what the weather was like, every tiny detail, until she actually started to find it interesting.

Also, Rhoda didn't particularly like the garden, she sat on the bench in the sun, reading a book Paul had given her to learn English, which gave Hailee some time almost alone with the master. She just couldn't get herself to call him John, and she dared not call him Dionysus, so she stuck to master for now, and he accepted it. To her, he still was her master, and he would remain so until she had gotten him to love her as a man.

Which might be never, for he seemed to actually avoid her. He used to be eager to make love to her, and she ached to have him touch her, but he didn't offer, and she had no right to ask. Working beside him, she did find his soapy smell lessened, and a tiny bit more of himself drifting her way very rarely.

Somehow it comforted her, made her feel all would still be well, but her mind was not so positive, it told her the old master was gone, and this small shade of his proud, gorgeous personality was too much changed to feel love for his former favourite.

They all met up for lunch, and made plans for the afternoon. Frances was planning to pick them up to check on Ilsa, and Paul and Melissa were going with Aphrodite for that. John was going to work on the plants in the new greenhouse, and he planned to take both Rhoda and Hailee, but he made it clear he wanted Lukas along for the first meeting of Rhoda with Hermes.

Hailee's attempts to care for her master were all gently rebuffed, he made his own plate of food, and ate sparingly, and he enjoyed coffee with his lunch, he didn't want any wine. She was ecstatic when he didn't avoid touching her any longer, as they continued their talk on how both their lives had been since they had been separated.

He was not intimate with her at all, he just put a hand on her arms as they talked, or stroked her hair fondly, or took her hand when she showed distress at what he told her.

She realized it was just his normal way of connecting to the people around him, but she enjoyed it nonetheless, she had ached for his touch, and if this was all she would get from him, it would have to do.

When Frances arrived, Melissa, Paul and Aphrodite got in the carriage, the others would take the bicycles to the manor.

Frances and Aphrodite made their acquaintance, Frances very thankful the goddess had offered to check out her daughter, Aphrodite very interested in the woman who had more or less helped John recover, by giving him love and a goal in his life, by encouraging him to develop his Gift to do something useful with it again.

Aphrodite liked Frances a lot, and would make sure she would not find out the goddess was sleeping with her lover for a few weeks. She felt a bit sorry for the sweet and capable woman, for even if John was not getting together with Hailee again, he would settle and raise a family, Aphrodite was convinced of that.

But then, life had its disappointments to everyone, even to herself, as she contemplated the love she still felt for Lykos, a love that would never be returned. Maybe he would indulge her just once this visit.

Melissa had been to Tristan's town house before, it was magnificent, but somehow still liveable, not too grand. He was already waiting for them, not his usual relaxed self, Ilsa's situation clearly oppressed him.

He helped the ladies out of the carriage, the idea of meeting a real goddess almost overcoming his worries for his wife and unborn child. Greeting Aphrodite with all the elegant formality a noble lady merited, the goddess was very much impressed by this tall, well-dressed powerful man with the exquisite manners of England's upper-class.

They followed him to the drawing-room, where Ilsa was sitting on a sofa with a book, and not a novel, but a thick volume on mathematics. She put it away when her visitors arrived, and even got up to greet Aphrodite.

Ilsa did not look at all bad, and Melissa wondered why Tristan seemed to worry so much.

When they were all seated, servants arrived with coffee and tea and some chocolates, and Aphrodite was stunned with delight at tasting the quality of both coffee and chocolate.

'Of all the modern things you have here, I must admit I admire the inventors of coffee and chocolate most. No offence, Paul.'

Paul laughed merrily, and replied: 'None taken, lady, every convenience I make can be replaced by magic, but boy did I miss coffee when I visited your country.'

Touching her golden necklace, Aphrodite observed: 'Despite your agreeing with me, you have made a point: I'd rather do without your modern treats than without my necklace.'

'You must be glad then, that it is not a modern convenience, it was made in your world with prolific use of magic, after all.'

The goddess turned to Melissa and asked: 'Are you sure you cannot do without him? I want to take him back home with me, to make art by day and entertain me in the evening.'

'I'm sorry, Aphrodite,' Melissa replied, 'I had a hard time catching him, and now I'm going to hang on to him forever. You'll just have to convince him to let you borrow him once in a while when you visit.'

But the only admiration the goddess could see in her favourite mortal's eyes, was admiration for his divine-looking wife.

'No chance, I'm afraid. Oh well, I'll make do with coffee and chocolate, and this lovely gold necklace.'

And not giving anyone a chance to reply to that, she asked Ilsa: 'So how do you feel?'

Ilsa replied: 'Actually, I feel fine,' and she did look fine, not nervous, not worried at all, 'the baby moves nicely, I have a good appetite, if the midwife didn't keep telling me the baby should already be here, I would have no problem waiting a few more weeks.'

'May I feel your belly?' Aphrodite asked, and Ilsa affirmed and laid down on the sofa she had been sitting on.

The goddess felt her belly in specific areas, and asked some more questions, then looked at her for a few moments, lighting up slightly.

'I see nothing wrong with this child, it actually looks as if he is perfectly all right to stay with you for two more seven-days. Can it be you have miscalculated the due date?'

'The midwife did that from my last period, but I'm often irregular. So you are saying everything is fine except that I will have to wait two more weeks to have my baby?'

Aphrodite confirmed that, and said: 'To my sight and my eye, and centuries of experience with women in childbirth, Melissa is a lot closer to delivery than you. Her baby is already restless, eager to meet the people around him, trying to contact them through his mother's belly, yours is still quite content where he is.'

Frances and Tristan were visibly relieved, Ilsa merely looked as if she had tried to convince the others that nothing was wrong and failed. She observed: 'I told both of you everything was fine, but the midwife acted as if I were not entirely sane. Tristan, you will send someone to her to cancel our arrangement, I have been treated like a simpleton long enough.

Melissa, what was the name of your friend? You seem to have real faith in her, I'll have her.'

Aphrodite said: 'That is a wise decision, you need to trust your midwife, and she needs to listen to you, it is your body and you know it best. I'm sorry I will not be here to help you, but I'm fairly certain your baby will take at least two weeks more, maybe even three. He seems the quiet type, whereas Melissa's is very active, truly his father's son.'

Melissa promised to give Ilsa Adison's address, with Lukas present and a doctor who had delivered babies before, she would be just fine.

After hearing about the new arrivals from Greece, Ilsa decided to come with them to the manor, she thought she might be of use to Rhoda, to talk to her and find out what interested her, to help her make a life for herself.

'I can't handle the factory anymore, but I get bored. Tristan needs to get back to work but he doesn't like to leave me all alone, he knows I miss work and people. I'll be happy to have a little project, and I'm very good at drawing people out.'

Of course that was exactly what Rhoda needed, a local friend who would help her fit in and find out what she was capable of doing for a living.

They all took their leave from Tristan, though he would probably join them right after his work was done. Melissa thought that as a future father, he resembled Lukas more than Paul, somehow becoming a father was already very real to Tristan, but of course Paul had Lukas to take on that responsibility.

It was a squeeze, to get two heavily pregnant women in the carriage, but they managed, and soon they were at the manor, squeezing themselves out again. Melissa was very curious how Hermes would have received Rhoda, and she did not have to wait long to find out, for having heard the carriage drive up the lane, George and Hermes were waiting outside.

Seeing his daughter in person, and in excellent shape and humour, George appeared relieved as well. 'I take it everything was all right?' he asked her, 'you look radiant.'

Ilsa replied: 'I am fine and so is the baby, I was right, it, he, is not due for two more weeks. Aphrodite says he is not yet eager to meet us, and she also says, Melissa's little boy is, he will be coming very soon.'

George now remembered his duties as host, and approached the beautiful goddess, who might just look even more ravishing in a Victorian dress than in her usual classical attire, Melissa hadn't decided yet.

Before George could say anything, the goddess hugged him with enthusiasm, held him at arms' length, and said: 'The famous English friend, George. I'm so pleased to finally meet you, you have no idea how much infatuated praise I have heard being heaped upon your person by both my brother and my nephew!'

Poor George looked rather overcome, not only at being embraced by a stunningly beautiful woman, but at Hermes and Lukas praising him to a goddess.

He kissed her hand, then said charmingly: 'Thank you very much, my lady, I'm very pleased to meet you, too.'

'My brother didn't say a word too much about your good looks, you are very handsome indeed, and as charming as your son-in-law. I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted to both of you.'

And Melissa knew she really was, Hermes loved George so much, his sister could not but be touched by that.

Now Aphrodite asked her brother: 'Did you manage to be nice to the girl, brother? John insisted on Lukas coming along to pacify you.'

'It was well he did, her appearance did give me an unpleasant shock. Of course you rendered her harmless before my eyes, but I suspected her to be a vessel for Hera. Did you really hold her in your arms, Paul? You're even more courageous than I thought.'

'It wasn't easy, Hermes,' Paul said shortly.

'It wouldn't be brave if it had been easy, my friend. You did the right thing, and I promise I'll be more forgiving, too. She has been through a lot. John took them to the new greenhouse, Rhoda didn't seem very eager to see it, but Hailee was.

To think that girl came through the portal to find him, apparently she has been searching all over for him. She clearly loves him very much, but something seems off somehow, she treats him like a god when he just wants her to be his girl.'

They did gossip a lot, those Greek gods.

John was glad that Rhoda didn't really mind accompanying them yet again, he did not want to be alone with Hailee, who was starting to look at him with yearning. What was he going to do with her?

Rhoda was sitting in one of the many seats, book in hand, studying English. Why didn't Hailee start learning the language?

He was trying hard to ignore her, very difficult because his body kept pulling his attention towards the attractive young woman working beside him, and her presence was really disturbing his newly found peace.

He had wanted to see her again so much, and he didn't want her to leave even now, he just wanted things to be normal between the two of them, with her treating him as a man, not as an idol. She stuck to calling him master, and cast down her eyes when he looked her way, she still tried to serve him whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The weird thing was, she didn't treat any other man with the fawning humility she did him, she met Hermes with her head held high, she talked to George, who was clearly a noble and looked the part, with easy familiarity, it almost seemed as if she wanted to make a point. But John hadn't a clue what the point was, it just made him very uncomfortable, and he was going to avoid being alone with her at any cost.

Hearing Lukas' voice, John breathed a little more easily, Hailee liked Lukas, and Lukas seemed to understand John's situation, maybe even better than John did himself.

It appeared that Lukas was not alone, he had brought Marcus and Jonathan with him, fast friends even though Marcus was a few years Jonathan's senior. Lukas also fit into their little group perfectly, he looked and behaved exactly like one of them, even though he was more than twice their age, and had many times their lives' experience.

Actually, that was only true for Marcus, Jonathan had told John about the life he had led before he came to live at the manor, the leader of a gang of destitute children, living in a wasteland with not a single memory of how they got there, and not a single hope of ever leaving there.

No, Jonathan had the life-experience of a much older man, and it was a miracle he was able to enjoy life as a teenager here. Actually, Lukas might have brought him on purpose to meet Rhoda, to show her that a horrible past could change into a bright future.

But Jonathan had survived his ordeal with his magic intact, and he was well on his way to rival George and Tristan in their power some day.

John sure hoped Lukas knew what he was doing.

Lukas first introduced his friends to Rhoda, he had indeed looked for them with the intent to set them up with the girls, not even to share bad experiences, but mainly to have some good, plain fun. Not just Rhoda, Hailee too, John needed to come to terms with his feelings for her, and Hailee needed to get a reality check, she was estranging John further from her by the minute, and telling her would be just too embarrassing, and anyway, John needed to feel the true extent of his love for her, too.

For of course Lukas knew exactly what those feelings were, he had talked to both before, and he could follow the train of their feelings as soon as he got close enough, for they practically flung their love and their hurt at him. But he could not interfere directly, that would make him responsible for everyone's love life, that was not going to happen.

So he decided to put the girls in the way of some good English fun instead, then see what happened.

Rhoda was pleased to meet two such handsome and friendly young men, they were about her age, and had the gentle manners of their class. Of course she couldn't understand their English yet, and Lukas asked Rhoda if she would like to have Jonathan put the language spell on her.

She asked: 'Will I learn the language eventually if I do?'

Lukas didn't know, so he asked Jonathan, who was already very strong at theorizing on magic.

'That is a good question,' he said, 'let me think.'

He looked like a statue of Apollo as he checked his knowledge on language.

As they were waiting for his answer, John approached with Hailee, and Marcus introduced himself to her. He was clearly very impressed by her exotic beauty, and she seemed interested in him as well. Good. That was Lukas' intent, he wanted John jealous, and he wanted Hailee less focussed on John, and to start thinking for herself.

Jonathan had reached a conclusion, and he said to Rhoda, in passable Greek: 'If you read a lot, I think you will be all right. Or I could take the spell off you after a month or so, and if you don't know anything by then, you can do it the hard way after all.'

'Thank you, Jonathan,' she said, 'I would love for you to place the spell on me.'

'Great, I've never done it before, so please be patient. Shall we sit down? This might take a while.'

They sat down, and Jonathan placed his hands lightly on her temples. He concentrated and lighted up a lot, and Rhoda gasped involuntarily.

It didn't break his concentration, and much quicker than she expected he removed his hands and said: 'Done! Did it work? And why did you gasp, were my hands cold?'

She replied: 'Let me check the book to see if it worked.'

He laughed and said: 'You understood me, so it worked, I was talking English. But check the book by all means, maybe I forgot to include adjectives.'

He was funny as well as handsome! A bit fluttered, Rhoda checked the book, and she could read everything, even the adjectives. 'Nope, you didn't forget them, I can read everything. Thank you so much! I gasped because you have so much power already, you're still quite young, aren't you?'

Jonathan was more than a bit taken by this serious girl, there was a kind of sadness about her that reminded him of himself a few months ago. It had taken a lot of time for him to learn to be a child again, and some part of him would never be young again, he had been through too much, but being friends with Marcus helped, and he wanted this girl to be young again, too, no matter how bad her past experiences.

'I am very young, only seventeen. How come you can see the power in me, do you have magic too?'

Ouch, wrong question, apparently, now he had hurt her even more. 'I'm sorry Rhoda, I can see that was the wrong question, please forget I asked it. I didn't mean to pry.'

'Don't be sorry, Jonathan, I'll summarize why your question hurt me: I did something very bad, and as punishment my magic was taken away from me. I used to be as powerful as you and very proud of it, but I abused that power. Both the memory of my misdeed, and what brought me to do it are still very painful.

From now on I will have to live with what I did and without magic. It is very hard.'

'I'm sorry to hear you lost your magic, Rhoda. I know people who had it taken from them, nearly had my own taken from me. If you ever feel the need to talk, I will lend you a willing ear, I may understand a little better than most other youngsters.'

Touched, she asked: 'Is that why you don't talk like just seventeen?'

He replied: 'I guess so, I've been through a lot as well, it has made me different from other teenagers, though I have learned to have fun again, and I want you to learn again, too. Let's go to a dance soon, I'll teach you the steps, they're easy.'

The way his face changed from sad memories to glad anticipation made him even more appealing to Rhoda, who realized she was well underway to being smitten, and it seemed to be mutual. Though seventeen was very young indeed.

And he had a powerful Gift, would become a powerful mage in this world where magic was rare. Did she want to put herself through that, seeing what she could have been under different circumstances?

She couldn't know, the fact that he was powerful didn't hurt her now, and there was something about him that pulled at her relentlessly, tell him, listen to him, share your experiences.

And of course she wanted to dance with him, he was tall and handsome, he looked athletic, he would be a good dancer. And read with him, explore the city with him, and maybe, just maybe, kiss him?

They talked to the exclusion of everything and everyone else, avoiding painful subjects for now, just comparing cultures, Jonathan telling her a lot about the people she would be getting to know this world with.

Of course Hailee's heart was already taken, but her master was very distant, very much changed, and she couldn't seem to please him anymore. So she decided to have some fun instead with this nice young man, the son of George, and as handsome as his father.

The good times she had had with Dionysus were past, and if she couldn't have him she'd better return to her own world, she could probably travel with Hermes and Aphrodite. The thought made her miserable, but there was nothing she could do.

Except enjoy herself, so she pushed the pain away and tried to talk to Marcus, which was difficult because his Greek was rather bad, and her English was non-existent.

John caught their attempt and offered: 'Hailee, do you want me to put an English language spell on you?' Did he look wistful at seeing her with a handsome young man?

'Oh would you, Master? Thank you so much!'

He sighed sadly and motioned her to sit down. With his hands on her temples he felt a sudden need to kiss her, but he didn't. He merely put the spell on her, kissed her chastely on the forehead, then went back to his work, trying to forget everything but his life here, the plants, the lush green of the woods and the gardens, Frances.

Within minutes, he felt the peace returning to him, and he managed to hold on to it until it was time for coffee.

And Hailee chatted with Marcus, also about the differences between their worlds, and their families, and they had a really good time together. There was quite some physical attraction between the two of them, and Hailee missed making love very much. But she had heard that morals were much different here, so she decided to ask Lykos to whether she was allowed to share love with this nice young man.

Having made his introductions, Lykos had left, so she would have to wait until she saw him again.

Coffee-time saw them all gathered in the garden behind the house, all but one. When Frances noticed both Jonathan and Marcus talking with the girls that had come here with John, she suspected John must still be around.

She delegated the supervision of the coffee-table to her husband, and went in search of her dear friend, finding him where she expected to find him, in the new greenhouse, on his knees, weeding the tiny coffee-bushes.

Offering him her hand to help him get up, she took him to the nearest bench and held him, saying nothing. He didn't cry, he had adapted magnificently to Victorian England and cultivated a lot of self-control, but he was clearly very unhappy.

After some time, he started to speak: 'You saw Hailee? She came to look for me, but we had both changed, and now she's with your son.

I wanted her so much, but all she did was defer to me, and I can't deal with adoration anymore. I thought she loved me, but she only loved my status. It's just a dream gone bust, but somehow I feel miserable about it.'

'As a mother of four, may I offer you a little advice?' Frances asked in her loving voice.

He nodded.

'Let her have some fun with Marcus first, he is a good boy, and not likely to fall in love with her, though he might make love to her. She needs to let go of the old you before she has a chance to fall in love with the new you. You are worth loving, John, don't be so humble, get some of your famous pride back, women want you. You go have some fun, too, take Aphrodite out, show her a rave she'll never forget.

Then when all is quiet, you talk to Hailee eye-to-eye, tell her about your hopes and dreams, and if she still wants to adore you instead of love you, send her back with Hermes and Aphrodite and be miserable then. I'll be there for you if she leaves.

And if she doesn't leave, I will not be mad at you or hurt, I'm the one who's already married. We had a good time, and we've learned a lot and taught a lot, and I hope we will still be best friends and you will still work with me, for you need the job and the space around you, and you'll need the warmth coming winter, and I need the best partner I've ever had in the garden.

Deal?'

'Deal.'

'Now go and have fun, and go dancing with the young people. Show Hailee you know how to have a good time, you've done it before.'

On their way to the house, Frances wanted to ask something: 'Can we trust the other girl with Jonathan? He's very young, you see, and he has no experience with girls.'

'I don't know, Frances,' John admitted, 'she's my niece, but I don't know her anymore, she has been through a horrible experience. She's lost her magic, and he is so talented. But I saw them meet, and they seemed to take to each other instantly. Lukas brought them together, I think he did that on purpose. Hailee and Marcus as well.'

She nodded, if Lukas thought it was the right thing to do...

'I'm sure he'll keep an eye on them, Frances. And I will, too.'

'One last hug, and then coffee?' Frances asked him, and he agreed.

In the garden behind the house, Ilsa was talking to Rhoda, with Jonathan listening in and sometimes commenting. Ilsa was trying to find out what interested Rhoda, whether she was more bookish or more practical, whether she wanted a career or would rather get married and have children.

She soon found Rhoda very ambitious and more interested in theoretics than in practical work. Ilsa thought the girl very sharp, very intelligent, with the right education she could get very far. Maybe she could take her to the factory one day to see whether she had the creativity to work in design, or was more charmed by numbers, to find her place in accounting.

The factory could use talented workers, but Tristan had a really large circle of professional relations, and he might be able to help, too. But first, she supposed the girl needed to find a place to stay and some time to get used to the climate, for she seemed cold even at this hottest time of the day.

After coffee, Paul wanted to go home, to continue his work, and to give Melissa her rest. Lukas would stay with Aphrodite, and the girls were entertained by the boys, who took them on a tour of the park in Bertha's little carriage, with the girl as their driver, of course.

The girls were amazed that so much green could thrive in this cold, and the boys didn't mind sitting close to them to keep them a little warmer.

Lukas showed Aphrodite around the gardens, well, actually John did, and Frances came too, and though the idea of a greenhouse was totally alien to someone from a hot climate, the goddess loved the design, and was amazed to hear that it was Melissa's, with the ornamentation being Paul's usual job. How could he waste his time making rough stuff like that, out of iron, when he was so talented with making elegant things, and in using gold?

She put this question to Lukas, who shrugged and said: 'He doesn't really take jewellery seriously, he likes to make things that matter, that make life better for people. And I think he truly loves the less valuable metals.

When we were working on your necklace, he always forgot to put away the gold, he left it lying about all the time. Its value doesn't mean anything to him.'

Frances suggested the girls might want to stay at the manor, to be with the young crowd, they had plenty of space. With the three of them so close to having their child, they might appreciate a little privacy.

Lukas agreed totally, but he did not want to make John feel like he wasn't wanted, so he observed: 'If the girls agree, I think we'd like that. But please don't think that you are not welcome with us, John, nor you, Aphrodite. And only if you really don't think it is too much trouble, Frances.'

'I wouldn't offer it if I did, Lukas, I think Ilsa is bored, and she would like to have the girls to chat with, and I think it is much better for John to have Hailee at some distance until she gets used to the changes in him and in his circumstances.'

They agreed to ask the girls, then make the decision.

'But wait a minute,' Aphrodite said, 'what about my brother, doesn't he have a say in it? Just being curious here.'

Frances laughed and replied: 'Actually, George suggested it, and he wouldn't make your brother unhappy for the world. Though Hermes did make a very pretty apology to George yesterday evening, for not listening to his advice on a certain matter, very publicly as well, I may add. I hope George heard it, he was so delighted to see Hermes again, I'm afraid he didn't see or hear anything for the thumping of his heart.'

And she said this with true humour, no resentment at all.

'But since you were being curious, Aphrodite, I wouldn't have asked him, no. He is a guest, and in our house he is not a god, so under the circumstances he would just have had to accept it. George and me make the decisions here.'

The goddess nodded, and observed: 'You are so generous to accept him as part of your family, I always thought your people claimed their spouses.'

'I knew George would be having affairs when we married, and I have had my share of them, too. We didn't marry for love, we married to have a safe home together, and to raise children. And now, we try to help people in need.

I'm glad George has Hermes, suppose he were to date younger men from our own class, they'd be insufferable and there would always be the risk of the affair getting out. Hermes is a generous, sensible man, with no connections to our own society, and that makes him the ideal partner for George. Did you know he teaches Jonathan when he is here, Lukas?'

Lukas nodded, he did know, Jonathan had told him he was dying to try the language spell, and it had worked fabulously today. And introducing Rhoda to Jonathan was already working out quite well.

But there was one person who might disagree, and he asked: 'Do you mind if Hailee stays somewhere else, John?'

Showing true Victorian self-restraint again, John replied: 'I don't. Some part of me wishes her close, in my arms actually, but my common sense tells me we need to become re-acquainted to each other, and for that we need to live our own lives for a while.

And we'll meet regularly, I suppose, I work here, I'm here most of the day, and she knows where she can find me. If she cannot love me as a normal man with a paying job, there is no hope for us, for even if I do return to the old world, I will not be partying anymore, I'll be working in my own vineyard most of the day.'

To Lukas it sounded as if his former master had already decided to stay, no matter what property or easy life he left behind. Hera would always have him looking over his shoulder in ancient Greece.

John looked at his companions and realized he had shared love with all three of them, to mutual satisfaction, no doubt about that. So much love for him, why should he be sad about a silly girl when there were three sensible adults around?

The need for restraint was gone instantly, his mood improved immensely, and he asked Aphrodite: 'When the young crowd goes out to dance, will accompany me and allow me to show you the idea of a good time in London?'

'If Melissa doesn't need me, sure, I'd love to. Provided you don't mind, Frances?'

Frances smiled and said: 'I think it is a magnificent idea, I think you'll love a polka, Aphrodite. I like to go sometimes, but George will want to stay in and I don't want to be the only middle-aged person there. Besides, Ilsa likes to have company in the evenings.'

Rhoda wanted to stay at the manor very much. She'd have a comfortable room there and plenty of people to help her learn about England. And Jonathan would be there, though she was still a bit worried about her rapidly growing feelings for him, she knew by now he was a very ambitious student of magic, and if she associated with him she would be talking magic most of the time.

She did know much about magic, having been a superb student herself, and she still had sight, but Hera had told her she would never practise magic again, and her main reason for moving to this world was to escape its constant influence on her life.

But the most important reason for Rhoda to want to live at the manor was obvious: Paul. No matter how sincerely he had forgiven her, it must be a relief to him to enjoy becoming a real family without having to share his safe home with her. Her place was anywhere but around him, he might have forgiven her, but she had not forgiven herself, and seeing him was positively painful.

Hailee was not so sure that moving to the manor was such a good idea, she'd be unable to be with the master all the time, and she had come to this place to be with him. But she knew Rhoda wanted to stay, she clearly liked that serious boy a lot, even though he was a lot younger than herself and almost bursting with magic.

And Hailee was not the empty-headed, will-less creature she appeared to be to the others, she was just misunderstood in her determination to give her master his due as a god, even in a world where he had no worshippers or status.

Being rather smart, she understood they might not be particularly wanted in Paul's home, they were soon to have a baby, and two visitors disturbed their peace. Besides, maybe her master might relent if she kept herself away from him for some time, and enjoyed herself with a tall, handsome young man.

Decision made, Frances showed them their rooms, next to each other. She explained the house-rules, dinner-times, chores and the way to treat the staff respectfully. Mostly for Hailee's benefit, she also told a little about Victorian morals on the subject of sharing love, though their own rules were more lenient. Frances didn't think Rhoda would be ready to share love for some time yet, but she needed to know that familiarity might breed expectation in this culture.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

They did go dancing that very night, taking the carriage to their favourite place, in the little park. The girls and Aphrodite got their fair warning about skipping rounds, and they practised the steps first, in the garden of the manor.

At the dance, spirits lifted instantly, the music was so infectious and fast they could only follow their feet towards the dance-floor, and they were soon tested, Jonathan leading Rhoda with more than a little excitement. After one dance they were heated and giddy, and they sat down for a moment to unwind.

Hailee and Marcus kept it up a lot longer, they danced until they were totally out of breath, then fell into one chair together, giggling and very dizzy.

John and Aphrodite made a real impression, with his trim shape and his excellent stamina John belied his meek appearance and showed the youths how to lead a lady. Aphrodite was delighted, she had never danced so fast, and it was exhilarating.

Lukas danced with his casual partners at first, he was a well-known dancer here, and attracted a lot of attention from the regular ladies who hunted for the fastest dancers, and hopefully a round somewhere totally different than the dance-floor.

When another regular wanted a turn with Jonathan, they all swapped partners, and Lukas claimed Aphrodite, to her great delight, for she soon found out why all those ladies waited for their turn on the floor with Lukas. She flew over the dance-floor, and begged him for mercy after two rounds.

Marcus claimed Rhoda, and Hailee looked at John with a question in her eyes.

He really wanted to dance with her, show her a side of him she'd never known, so he took her hand, spinning her at lightning speed, showing her a variation on the normal steps, leading her with bright eyes and a glad face.

Even at this speed Hailee enjoyed being in his arms, suddenly she understood why he ate sparingly and drank little wine and only in the evenings. The man she knew could never have led her through a dance at this speed, he never moved if he could help it.

Held in his arms, close to his body, she could smell him clearly now, similar to the old days, but different, in a good way. This was his scent as it was supposed to be, very masculine but fresh, and very enticing.

How she managed to let herself be totally taken in by his presence at the speed they were going was a testimony to his expert lead, and at the end of two dances her giddiness was not solely due to the turning and skipping.

They both returned to their original partners with a feeling of optimism, Hailee starting to realize that skinny had its advantages, and that working hard made playing afterwards even more fun. She danced another two rounds with Marcus, then two spectacular rounds with Lukas, and two with Jonathan.

And then she was claimed once more by her master, no, this was not her master, she should really respect his wish to be called John, so she said to herself, I'm dancing with John, with John, and she secretly wished the music would slow so she could kiss him.

But of course it never did, so they danced until it stopped and then she kissed him, and he answered her kiss with frenzy. So there was some hope for her yet. When they had finished that kiss, Marcus claimed her again, and he was her partner so she went with him, but in an even better mood. All would be well yet, and in the meantime this young man was great fun to be with.

They were fetched at a very decent time, and in excellent spirits. Rhoda and Jonathan were talking again, and Marcus was clearly eager to do more than talk with Hailee. She considered the idea with pleasure, she did feel like sharing love, and she knew the master would spend the night with the goddess of love warming his bed.

At the manor they parted, Hailee had decided she'd spend the night with Marcus so she followed him to his quarters, Rhoda and Jonathan shared one chaste goodnight-kiss, and Lukas, Aphrodite and John cycled home.

Lukas had worked up quite a bit of fervour dancing, but his steady devotion to Melissa so close to the birth now showed its disadvantage, for his potential partners were involved with each other. Still, getting some sleep would be nice, too.

He expected to crawl into a bed with two sleeping people, but as he walked quietly to the empty side of the bed, he heard a whisper from the opposite end: 'Lukas, will you come to me? I've missed you.'

Melissa wasn't even sleepy, she was in bed, wide awake, eager to have company. He snuggled in her arms, difficult because of her now huge belly, but with a little more effort he managed. She kissed him with passion, and scratched his horns quite firmly, making him gasp.

'That's too much, love! I've been dancing, I'm all worked up, you're driving me mad with lust!'

She laughed at his protest, and said: 'Good, I want you mad with lust, for I've been very horny all day, and Paul can't seem to bring himself to put some spirit in it anymore, I suppose he is embarrassed towards the baby. But I don't care, I just want it rough, I've been lying in wait for you for at least an hour, hoping you hadn't shared yet.'

'There is no-one to share with, they're all paired. I admit I'll feel a bit embarrassed, too, but you can help me along quite easily. Beloved, now we know for certain that we're getting a son, we can think up a name, can't we?'

It appeared her patience had run out, for she massaged his horn-bases so blissfully, that he lost all ability to speak and just took her, roughly, exactly as she had wanted. She groaned in exaltation and wanted him to kiss her, not an easy feat to manage with her belly in the way, but of course she got what she wanted.

After the rough first round, they were both calm enough to enjoy some much more tender loving, which they both relished intensely, knowing it might be their last for some time to come, for Aphrodite had warned Melissa against having intercourse soon after birth. They could love each other of course, but differently. Besides, they would be incredibly busy.

Lying close together they let themselves drift off, sated and happy, Melissa finally ready to find some sleep.

She must have slept well, for she could hear birds outside when an uncomfortable cramp in her belly awoke her. Needing to use the privy, she got up and felt something drench her legs instantly. That was it, it had started. Checking the bed, she saw Lukas still asleep, what a fortunate coincidence that she had woken just before sunrise on the morning that she needed him the most, another half hour and he'd have been off.

The cramp came back and she breathed as Aphrodite had taught both herself and Ilsa. She decided she'd have plenty of time yet, so she went to the privy, bringing a mop back to clear up the mess. Then she decided she was not going to bother, within half a day she would be able to bend over again, let Lukas do it this time.

She got Paul's watch from the night stand to time her contractions, and woke Lukas. Going to the privy she had had another one, and she guessed they must be about seven minutes apart, they weren't all that painful yet either, so there was probably plenty of time left. Still she liked to know exactly, and she wanted Lukas' company, it was getting light outside, the time he usually awoke, so he wouldn't be grumpy.

And he wasn't, he was delighted, and he mopped up the mess with a broad smile, checking the colour of the fluid, and telling her happily it was clear as water, a good sign.

He took away the mop, and returned with a load of towels, one of which he laid on the bed for her to sit on: 'Why get the linen dirty when we can have the towels washed?'

'Better use some more, then, Lukas, for according to everyone I've asked, birthing is a messy business,' Melissa remarked.

She had timed the cramps at six minutes already, which she supposed was quick, and they were regular and rising in intensity. This was indeed the real thing.

'Lukas, I think I've been sleeping through some of it, I think this is not going to take the usual eight hours. Maybe you'd better warn Aphrodite, I've heard that sometimes it can go really fast. She needn't come, yet, but...' Melissa couldn't talk as another wave of what could by now be called pain hit her. She checked the watch, marking the time it started, and the time it lasted. When it was gone, she finished her sentence: ...she might want to wake up and dress.'

Lukas now decided to wake Paul, he wouldn't be grumpy during the birth of his own child, and when Paul opened his eyes, Lukas said: 'It's started, better make some coffee.'

Then he was off, and Melissa could hear his hoofs on the stairs, taking two steps together at least.

Paul said something, but she didn't hear it, she checked the watch then let herself be taken along on a wave of pain. Five minutes, this was going very fast.

She felt herself being taken in his arms, the watch laid on the night stand for now. 'Can you bring me up to speed, love? What can I do for you?' he asked concernedly, but also with excitement.

Melissa replied: 'You can check the time between contractions, I think it is going a lot faster than usual, we need to keep track. And you can kiss me. And when Lukas returns we need to think of a name, we totally forgot!'

She was kissed first, very gently but passionately nonetheless, and then Paul picked up the watch once more, and asked: 'How are you, beloved?'

She answered truthfully: 'Not too bad. It will get worse though. I'm mostly scared that..there's another one, still getting stronger.'

Of course Lukas brought Aphrodite back with him, and she took over immediately. 'Paul, you make some coffee, to wake us all up. Lukas, come here and watch me, for when it's Ilsa's turn, if you know specifics, you can be of real help.

Melissa, I saw Paul with a watch, how far apart are your contractions?'

Sending Paul away was not Melissa's idea of help, but she answered nonetheless: 'Five minutes.'

'Five minutes already? Did you wait very long to wake Lukas?'

'No I didn't, my water broke and I needed him to clear up the mess. Can I go to the privy? I need to go.'

'Yes, by all means, take Lukas though, I'm sorry I sent Paul away, I thought it would take ages yet, it usually does. Do you want me to call him back? I really would like some coffee...'

Melissa held on to Lukas un-gently in the throes of another contraction, with Aphrodite telling her to remember the special breathing. She felt foolish huffing and puffing like Dionysus climbing Mount Olympus, and she said so, making both Lukas and his aunt laugh.

'Still, it does work, though it seems you don't need it that much, you're not fighting the pain. Keep going, and hurry with the privy, then when you come back I'll check how far along you are.'

It was good to have Lukas along, for she experienced two more contractions before she was back in the bedroom.

Aphrodite carefully timed the next ones, Melissa had no idea who had taught her to use a watch, but she did, and she seemed to have an instinctive understanding of time. When she asked, the goddess was amazed, and said: 'You should be screaming in pain, cursing Lukas for doing this to you by now, instead you observe and make jokes. Don't you feel any pain?'

'Nothing very bad, no,' Melissa replied, it wasn't very comfortable, but not excruciating either.

Nonetheless she was happy to have Paul come back with coffee and cups, for she felt emotional and wanted him close. The contractions were speeding up a lot, and soon Melissa had no time to make jokes anymore, this seemed to be going way too fast, she couldn't keep up.

Aphrodite asked Paul to take Melissa in his arms, and asked Melissa permission to let Lukas feel inside as well, so he would know what she was talking about. 'By all means, let him touch me, he does it often enough I should say.'

'Lukas, I forgot you have very easy access to hot water, please get me a bucketful, plus any soap you have, quickly.' Aphrodite was no in a panic, but this was going very fast, usually first births took hours and hours, and she was not quite in the mood yet, she felt rushed. Still, babies did things in their own time, and this one was inherently fast.

Both Lukas and Aphrodite washed their hands with soap in very hot water, Lukas cringing a little at the touch of the near boiling water on his sensitive new skin, then the goddess showed him how to feel the dilation of the womb.

She momentarily forgot Melissa, who was in good hands with Paul, and concentrated on Lukas and the technique. She felt a strong dilation already, almost enough for Melissa to start getting the urge to push, and she quickly made room for Lukas, telling him what to feel for.

He estimated the opening correctly, and she told him to use sight, which he did. 'Everything just fine,' he said, 'strong heartbeat, head is down.' She told him what else to check, and he did.

By now, the contractions were nearly continuous, this was hard work for Melissa, but rewarding as well, for every contraction seemed to help the baby down to where it should go. She was still rather relaxed, considering the circumstances, just a bit overwhelmed by the speed at which everything was happening.

Now she wanted to push, and the goddess checked again. Another few contractions, and she might, but not yet. 'Hold on, use the other breathing rhythm I taught you to keep from pushing for two more contractions, you're doing incredibly well, but if the baby comes too fast he can damage you and that hurts for weeks, so control yourself.

This was going too fast to properly instruct Lukas, she checked again and the way was clear. 'At the next contraction, Melissa, push along with it, but not too hard, quietly, as you have been all along. Is that it already? Good, do your best, you may sit up if you prefer, but if you can manage lying down it is better the first time.'

The girl was a natural, she used just enough force to keep the little head moving, but not too much, there seemed no risk to herself. Lukas had some instinct for this as well, he stroked her legs as if they were making love, and he said: 'You're the perfect engineer, love, that is just enough, no more force, take your time. You'll be holding your son soon.'

Three more contractions did the trick, very gently, until the goddess nudged Lukas to be ready to take hold of his son as he came rushing out in a welter of fluid. Lukas took hold of the slick little body carefully, catching a glimpse of two alert eyes looking straight at him, then carefully laid his son on his mother's belly and covered him with a thick towel to stay warm, cord still attached.

'Let Hermes watch himself,' Aphrodite said, 'this boy is even faster than him! Then she bent over the bewildered mother and her husband holding her, and kissed them both. Lukas was sitting on Melissa's other side already, so she kissed him, too.

They were so cute together, and she imagined how their baby would see them, hugging and kissing each other now, carefully stroking his little head as well. He did not cry at all, he just looked his fill in silence.

The goddess saw that Melissa was having another contraction, and she said: 'If you push a little we'll have the afterbirth accounted for as well,' and that was how it went. The baby was ready to live on his own, so she let Paul cut the cord with a knife he had to get from the kitchen, cleaned with boiling water.

Then she showed Melissa how to offer the baby his first meal, and he was very interested and ready to try. So much awareness in a baby, but she remembered Hermes' tale of being an even more precocious child.

She poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot, and found out that cold coffee tastes atrociously. That was really gross! Too bad, but how could she have known it would all be over this quickly?

Pretty soon the little boy was sleeping, and Aphrodite carefully wrapped him in the towel and handed him to Lukas, who cried, of course, and held him with years of experience. She told Paul to take Melissa to the shower upstairs and help her get clean. She would need to take extra care of herself the coming weeks, for her body would cleanse itself and be susceptible to infections. Guessing how matters were in this threesome she told Paul strictly: 'No intercourse until the bleeding stops, not even if she begs for it!'

His knowing look confirmed her suspicions, Melissa liked her loving, and she would find abstinence harder to bear than quiet Paul. Lukas would get his share of loving, no worry about that. Aphrodite would be pleased to give him some herself.

The two new parents went upstairs, Melissa walking quite decently, John would not mind their intrusion, though Aphrodite did wonder why Paul didn't have a shower in his own home.

But as soon as they had left, she sat next to the new father and watched him gaze at his son, totally infatuated already.

He did spare her a loving look, and said: 'That was really fast, wasn't it? Ophelie took hours and hours, until she was exhausted, but the midwife said that was perfectly normal.'

She nodded, and replied: 'I've never seen a first child born this fast, not even my own. I have no idea whether that has consequences, just keep an close eye on your love, and I will, too. Of course she is really large, and very steady. She didn't panic at all. That seems to help.'

They studied the baby together, and he did seem to look a lot like Lukas, he had the cute dent in his lip, but of course his tiny face was way too round to resemble his dad. His eyes were closed in sleep, but they were large, with long lashes, and he had human hands, and totally human feet, with the usual number of fingers and toes, and he seemed rather large for a newborn.

Of course English babies might very well be larger than Greek babies generally, and Melissa was rather tall, so Aphrodite didn't wonder her child was big.

Meanwhile, Paul knocked on the door of the apartment, and John opened it. Before he could wonder at seeing Melissa, Paul said: 'Our son has arrived already, he is healthy, and he took a good look at all of us, now he's sleeping in his father's arms. Aphrodite ordered us to let Melissa shower and clean up, so here we are, hope you don't mind.'

John's face was a study in delight, and he said: 'Of course, come in, that is fast, congratulations. You look a bit dazed Melissa, are you all right?'

She did manage an answer, but she did not sound like herself: 'I feel weird, John, do you think a baby can be born too quickly?'

John ran off, and as Paul led Melissa to the shower he found out why, for the little man had fetched a chair, and now he put it behind her, and none too soon for she nearly fainted. As she sat with her arms on her knees and her head low, John said: 'Don't worry, I'll fetch Aphrodite.'

He was off within a heartbeat, and back with the goddess in a minute. She checked Melissa with sight and proclaimed her healthy, but stunned by the speed of everything.

She had been slowing down for months, and suddenly everything had been kicked into overdrive, and then, the whole thing over within an hour or two, there was a lack of something. She would probably need some time to find her peace again, and a lot of love and soothing.

As John prepared a nice, warm shower, Paul helped Melissa under it and cleaned her gently, keeping it short. Then he helped her in her dressing gown and back down the stairs, into the bed with clean sheets and the baby in her arms. He sat next to her, held her and stroked her, very quietly and gently, to soothe the shock of the sudden birth out of her.

John had followed them and was in the kitchen, making coffee and breakfast, and after half an hour he came back upstairs and presented them with his work.

The guys were really hungry, and Aphrodite was dying for a cup of coffee, but Melissa just sat still and tried to process what had just happened.

She looked at the baby, their son, he was real, and her empty belly, floppy now but still rather distended, and she started to cry quietly.

Deciding it probably wouldn't matter who comforted her, John sat down next to her and held her in total silence. He did take a good look at the baby, a cute little thing with a tiny face and tiny hands, sleeping against his mother in boneless relaxation.

It was weird, to become a mother all of a sudden, John could imagine that easily. He did not try to get Melissa to stop crying, he just let her know she was not alone, and that helped.

After a few minutes, she said: 'I just can't believe that I'm a mother just like that. Look at him, he's so perfect. My mind is running around in circles, but there is no sense at all in my thoughts. Do you think there is a tea for that, one that is safe for babies if it were to get in the milk?'

Aphrodite could kick herself for needing a newly delivered mother to think of the solution to her own problem: 'I don't need tea for that, love, I can do that very easily with a tiny bit of magic, just a little calming spell. Lukas could do it with his Gift, if you prefer that. It would not be able to get to the baby, being magic. He seems quiet enough, though that must have been a shock to him as well, or do you think he was the hasty one?'

As Aphrodite talked, she looked at Lukas, who nodded and sat on Melissa's other side, then touched her and lighted up the tiniest bit.

Melissa smiled at him, and said: 'That was just right, love, I feel much better. I don't know what came over me, everything seemed so unreal all of a sudden. Thank you, John, you're sweet, and that breakfast looks very tempting. I'd like some bread and a cup of tea, I'm hungry. And Paul needs to hold his son, come on love, you'll do fine.'

Paul sat down where John had been, and Melissa handed him their baby, still sleeping. He wasn't clumsy at all, how could Paul ever be clumsy? He held the baby as if he had as much experience as Lukas, and he looked at his son in the same, infatuated way.

Melissa sat on the edge of the bed and accepted a cup of tea and a slice of bread from John. She ate with a relish, and observed her husband with their son.

And then she said: 'Guys, he needs name. Any suggestions?'

Lukas suggested: 'Edward?'

Paul suggested: 'Jason?' and Aphrodite said to John: 'I never cared that much for Jason, did you?' John replied, smiling: 'Nah, he was arrogant, and always took himself soo seriously.'

So Jason was out, they could never hear that name again without laughing.

'Nicholas?' Paul suggested.

'Like Nicholas,' Aphrodite commented, and John nodded, 'I do, but I like Edward, too. Nice and English.'

'What do you like, Melissa?' asked Paul, 'we want to hear your suggestions, too.'

'I'm afraid I can't think very well at the moment, beloved, I'm still a bit shaken by everything.'

'Well, I suggest you all think about it, he will need a name soon, but for now he needs rest, and food, and love. And you need rest, too, Melissa, so you lie down a little with whomever you want, and we'll leave you alone for some time.

If you need me I'll be with John or downstairs.'

And they were on their own.

This was the moment Melissa feared, well not really because Aphrodite was still in the house, but it was a good time to face the fear, of being responsible for a new life without a clue of what to do with it.

Paul broke her anxious thought by saying: 'I think I like Edward, too. Are you feeling better, love? You seem almost frightened. You know Lukas knows what to do, he'll make it right. And Aphrodite is still here, and there is your mum, Frances, your sisters, and even my mother.

And besides, remember when you felt that flaw in the support of the glass house, your sight awakening? You didn't want to follow a hunch, but you learned how to do it and now you're the best. You've learned to trust your feelings, and I'm sure your feelings will tell you what to do with our little son. My feelings are, unmistakeably.'

He looked at the little face, his own face overflowing with love, even though he knew he was not the natural father. And he was right, if she examined her feelings she did know what do do with their baby. The doubts she had were all connected to morals and customs, whether she did things right for the world, not for her child.

And there and then she decided she would listen to her feelings, and trust them, as she had learned to trust her talent. And her fear receded and for the first time she felt an incredible pride, to have grown such a beautiful baby inside her, so healthy, and so awake, he had looked at them with such interest, and sampled her milk with relish.

'Thank you Paul,' she said, smiling now, 'you are right, I know exactly what to do. And thank both of you for your support just now. It was very overwhelming, I still need some time to find my inner rest back. I want to feel both of you against me, can you move the baby a little, Lukas? I like Edward, too, shall we call him that?

It'll be Edward Kenwick, Lukas, do you want your name on his birth certificate as well?'

Lukas didn't know what a birth-certificate was, of course, but Paul decided for himself he'd make sure Lukas would be on it somehow.

Lukas now carefully lifted little Edward and laid him on his other side, and the baby was exhausted from the hasty birth and his first impressions and didn't even stir. Lukas felt a stab of worry, but the little chest moved regularly, and the tiny face showed different emotions as he dreamed of his first moments of life outside.

They snuggled together, relishing the physical contact, and in their arms, Melissa fell in a peaceful sleep. Paul wanted to get some work done, and Lukas agreed to stay with the new mother as she slept, though he was dying to run over to the manor and tell his father and George.

Still, either mother or son might wake, and then he would be needed. Besides, John would be going to the manor, so their friends at the manor would know soon enough. After he had looked his fill of his beloved and their newborn son, he picked up the book he kept in the bedroom, and started to read.

About an hour later, little Edward started to stir, and Lukas watched him wake up slowly. The dark eyes in the tiny face were looking at him very seriously, and Lukas realized those must be his eyes, for both Melissa and Paul had grey eyes. So his grandfather had been right, this was his child, conceived in the two short weeks they had spent on his former home-world

But his thoughts were cut short by a tremendous need to hold this tiny body close to his, and he very carefully lifted the boy and laid him on his own chest, face towards his dad so they could speak without words.

One large difference between his first experience with a child was, that Lukas was now supremely talented, and he dropped his shields to see if a newly born child had any emotions to feel.

Little Edward seemed to look at him with true awareness, and Lukas got feelings of curiosity, content, and even love. This tiny creature had been impatient to meet him, and was thrilled to be so close to him, to fill his eyes with him.

Still very careful handling the vulnerable newborn, he kissed the downy head, and the little face, and the body, dressed only in a modern type diaper and a nice thick towel. 'Let's give you a clean diaper and one of your mother's beautiful handiworks, shall we?' he crooned, blissfully happy to finally hold the baby he had longed for so much.

And so he did, and Edward watched him, taking in every experience with great curiosity. But when they were back in the bed Lukas felt discomfort from him, the first stirrings of a newborn's great hunger. So he gently woke Melissa, and when she was awake and sitting up, Lukas handed her her son, looking like a little angel in one of her hand-sewn dresses, wide awake and clearly eager for some food.

It was difficult to find the right position to hold the baby, but Lukas helped by strategically placing some pillows under her arm, and soon everything was just fine, little Edward projecting total fulfilment, and his parents kissing with nearly as much bliss.

Lukas had his shields still down, so he picked up Melissa's love and passion as well, and for a few moments he was nearly overwhelmed with emotions, that little boy had some force behind his feelings, and so much determination.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Sounds on the stairs brought the two adults back to the world, but the little boy remained totally concentrated on his lunch. Lukas whispered: 'Melissa, I can feel his emotions just as if they are an adult's, only they are much more focussed on just one thing that occupies him at that moment, his world is much narrower.'

She looked at their child in wonder, she always thought that babies were just some kind of eating and pooping animal, without much feeling, she would love to experience it with him some time. But now, she hoped Paul was coming, she knew he'd be wanting to work, she was glad Lukas was still here, but she did miss Paul, she was rarely without him these days.

There was a knock on the door, which was weird, since Paul would not knock, and neither would Aphrodite, and before long Paul stuck his head in the door and asked: 'Are you decent? There is someone here to see Lukas, but he wants to meet little Edward, too.'

As she rearranged the blankets to cover her other breast, and saw Lukas picking up a bathrobe and putting it on, she wondered who it might be, for frankly Melissa didn't feel the slightest shame to appear naked before Hermes, George or Frances. If it was someone else, Lukas better hide his hoofs, too.

She motioned at him, but he had already thought of it himself, for he jumped on the bed and stuck his hoofs beneath the duvet.

And not a moment too soon, for Paul came in with an embarrassed looking Mr Jones, who was carrying a basket of fruit with both hands, and nearly fainted with relief when he saw Lukas looking his usual self.

Always polite, he handed the basket to Lukas, and said to him: 'I was expecting you to be in a bad way after what happened, I felt so guilty for bringing you in harm's way. I'm so glad to see you doing well, my dear boy, please tell me all about how you managed to escape lasting hurt. But first I'm going to congratulate your mistress on the birth of her son, ladies first, you see.'

Lukas thought it quite funny to be found lying in a bed with what Mr Jones thought was his boss' wife.

But Lukas could see Paul and Melissa found it very embarrassing to be seen as his superiors, and as Mr Jones kissed Melissa's hand to congratulate her, Paul had apparently decided to disclose some of the truth to their professional friend, for he said: 'Rupert, Lukas and I always keep up a façade on the work-floor, but you have become such a good friend by now that I feel you need to know how things really are between us.'

Mr Jones looked at him with a certain surprise, and since little Edward was now done drinking and showed some interest in their business-partner, Lukas took him from Melissa so she could cover her other breast as well, and he held their son upright against his shoulder to let him burp, curious how much of the truth Paul would tell Mr Jones.

'It is true that I teach Lukas metal-craft. But our working-relationship is much more equal than it seems when we are installing, he works for himself, and I work for myself, or we work together as equals, no formal apprenticeship involved. We choose to work that way in public because it is simpler to have one person doing the talking.

And then there is our marriage: Melissa and I are married, and our little Edward will carry my name, but in fact Lukas is included in our love, again as equal partner, he is not in this bed as incident, we always sleep together. We hide this from the outside world, where marriages are supposed to be between man and woman.

But if you look really well at this most beautiful of baby-boys, you will see that he is in fact Lukas' natural son, not mine. See that cute lip, and those beautiful brown eyes.

I hope you will not mind knowing this, that you will not hold it against us that we don't live in a traditional marriage. We like working with you.'

That Mr Jones was stunned by this information was very clear, but he did not show any sign of indignation or anger, he just processed the information in silence and then said: 'You did startle me for a moment, Paul, but I know you are all good people, and very professional. But you and Melissa seem so much in love...'

Paul laughed merrily and observed: 'We áre very much in love, Rupert, but Lukas is so sweet that neither of us could resist him.'

The sturdy contractor proved he had a logical mind by asking, rather embarrassed: 'But how can you be so sure the baby is his then?'

He had a point there, and Melissa was curious how Paul would explain that.

'That is difficult to explain, let's just say a higher power revealed to us who the father of our child really was.'

The weird thing was that that didn't seem to surprise Mr Jones at all, he accepted the totally illogical explanation with a: 'Somehow I can believe that, you know some very powerful people who seem to be surrounded by a certain mystery, like Sir George Nomes, and that beautiful young man who stayed there when I met him for the first time, and council member Telling.

Young Lukas here, he seems to be different, too, not very much, but I saw him scalded by boiling water yesterday, his skin was blistering all over his face and his hands, I feared for his handsome face and his hands at the very least, and yes, for his life at the worst. And now he is fine, his skin still pink and tender, and he is holding his son as if he has had children before.'

Mr Jones was very observant indeed, and he had an excellent memory: 'That reminds me Melissa, that I saw you stun a man half again your size with a slap.

I have long thought there is more to all of you than meets the eye, but I will not tell anyone that. Your secret is safe with me.

I've heard stories of a slender young man with brown curly hair healing poor people all over the city, all through winter. I just hope that if something bad ever happens to me on a work-site, that you will be there, Lukas.'

Lukas bent over towards Mr Jones with his son, keeping his legs and hoofs hidden under the blanket, and he replied: 'I hope so too, Mr Jones. And if I'm not, you can always send for me. And now little Edward wants to meet you, see how he watches you?'

The dark eyes were indeed fixed on Mr Jones with more intent than a baby usually displayed, and the man felt a bit uncomfortable under that fearless gaze. But the eyes were very large and very friendly, beautifully shaped and with long dark lashes already, and the little face was so incredibly cute with his father's dented lip but the chubby cheeks of an infant, that it was just not possible to feel any negative feeling at all.

One just had to love this baby, and to stroke its dear little fuzzy head and its soft cheek, so Mr Jones did just that. Little Edward kept his serious look, for of course he couldn't laugh yet, Mr Jones had children of his own and he remembered that stage where babies look as if they know the truth about the world and everything in it but can't communicate the answers yet.

And Lukas didn't look the same as usual either, this was not a twenty-year-old apprentice metal worker, there was an adult man looking out of those dark eyes. Had this man cured himself of burns that would have left him mutilated, if not killed with shock and infection within days?

These thoughts came over him in a second, and after that second he blurted out: 'He does look like you Lukas, his dark eyes are exactly the same shape, and the dent in his lip. He'll grow to look more like you every day, what will the people think?'

'They'll probably think Lukas slept with my wife, which is true. I know, because I was there. Let the people talk, Rupert, our friends know the truth, and I'm already totally smitten with this spitting image of the dearest friend I have on this earth.'

Edward turned his gaze towards Paul, and somehow Paul knew he was supposed to carry him around for a while. As he moved towards Lukas, the latter already held Edward out to Paul. Had Lukas received unspoken instructions too?

Paul looked at Lukas and saw him nod. Apparently Rupert didn't know half of it, and neither did he.

Seeing Paul handle his son with such affection, and feeling the love in this unconventional family, Mr Jones said to Melissa: 'I congratulate you on such a fine boy, and such fine fathers. The only thing I regret the tiniest bit is that little Edward will not have your glorious hair. I had hoped to see that pass on to the next generation. But where one child is born, usually more will follow, so there is still hope of a copper-haired Kenwick beauty.'

Melissa realized he was right, Edward would have dark hair, but she was also tickled Mr Jones had had thoughts on the colour of their baby's hair.

He went on: 'Do I have your permission to talk a little business now? With two husbands to share the load, I am hoping you will be back on the market for inspections soon? I have several I'm keeping for you, I don't want anyone else there and I'll send a carriage of course.'

Nothing could have made Melissa happier, and she said: 'The midwife insists on my taking at least a week off to recover and get used to having a baby, but after that I will be totally at your service, and gladly. I've missed work.'

'Great,' Mr Jones said, 'we have a deal, then, before Mr Millner beats me to it, I know he is waiting for you to resume work as well. And for the gentlemen, I have an official request for two brass or copper boilers for the glass-house, with every safety precaution that can be had, to be delivered and installed before the cold sets in. Can you make an offer on those? As large as you can safely make them?'

Paul nodded, a bit distracted because he was nuzzling and kissing his son, and observed: 'We're doing well with bicycles and swords, but we can fit in a few boilers this summer. There's this whole new mouth to feed, you see. You don't want to know how much his father eats, and the small one has so much growing to do.'

Lukas smiled his broadest smile, always happy when made fun of, and Mr Jones added: 'That reminds me, the gardener of the glass-house would like to talk to your smallish friend again, he worked up his nerve to ask me, he was very sorry that their discourse was interrupted by that terrible accident. I understand your friend works at the Nomes' Manor, in the new greenhouse?'

Lukas asserted himself much more, and replied: 'He does, John is very good with plants, and he enjoyed talking to the glass-house man just as much. Lady Nomes mostly grows useful plants, those that carry fruit, and I think John is very interested in the ornamental ones as well.'

'That's what the gardener said, he wanted to know more about tropical plants that bear fruit, so they can exchange information and maybe even seedlings.'

At that very moment, someone entered the room, and everyone looked at the door and saw Aphrodite come in, bearing a tray with coffee, tea and cups. She saw Mr Jones and said: 'One moment please, let me yell at John.'

She walked out again, indeed yelled something, in Greek, then returned almost immediately: 'I asked him to bring an extra plate and cup, for your visitor.'

Paul saw Mr Jones gape at the beauty of the goddess, Victorian dress did become her exceptionally well. Paul himself was still totally overcome by Melissa's looks, but he knew most men thought Aphrodite the most beautiful woman that ever existed.

He had to introduce her, and decided on impulse to just use her own name. Paul handed Edward to his beautiful mother, who took him eagerly, which made Paul very happy, and then he said: Rupert, may I introduce you to our midwife, Lukas' aunt Aphrodite. Aphrodite, this is Rupert Jones, the contractor who has made our business a success. He has also built the iron frame of Frances' greenhouse.'

Mr Jones kissed the hand Aphrodite held out to him, she had been learning Victorian manners very quickly, using Tristan's as example of the most exalted ones.

Mr Jones was still unable to speak, but the goddess asked him: 'I supposed you'd be willing to take a cup of coffee with us, Mr Jones, in honour of the latest addition to the Kenwick family?'

With everything Paul had just told him, Mr Jones would be thinking feverishly whether she meant that or was being sarcastic. Apparently he decided to just drink the coffee: 'Yes, Miss, please.' And suddenly he managed to say very politely: 'You are very well-named, Miss Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love cannot possibly be more beautiful than you.'

'Why thank you for your compliment, Mr Jones, to be compared to a goddess is so nice! Though I am a Misses, I've been married for quite some years now. To a master-smith, actually, as accomplished in his way as Paul here, but slightly less bent on modern inventions. My husband likes traditional ironwork.'

Blushing, Mr Jones accepted a cup of coffee with a polite bow.

Now John entered as well, carrying another tray with lunch articles, bread, cheese, olives, and plates and cutlery.

He shook hands with Mr Jones, and that worthy man told him about the gardener of the glass-house in person. John was pleased, and he promised to cycle by the glass-house on his afternoon off.

After lunch, Mr Jones left, having looked his fill of Aphrodite throughout the meal.

Little Edward had another drink, then fell asleep again in his mother's arms.

Paul observed: 'I thought you'd be at the manor, John.'

'I was planning to, but Aphrodite asked me to stay and keep her company, so I did. I will be going there this afternoon, though, to put in my hours of work.'

'Do you want to go, too, Lukas?' Paul asked, 'I'm planning to stay with Melissa this afternoon, so you can tell George and your father the good news.'

Lukas replied: 'I really want to, but won't you miss me? I promised to be there for you.'

His aunt said: 'I'm staying here, so you can go without feeling guilty. Everything will be just fine.'

'I'll come with you then, John,' Lukas said to his friend, 'they'll be amazed.'

Aphrodite stayed for another five days, in which she taught them everything she knew about babies, and helped run the household so they could connect to their new family-member and to each other. Not being allowed to make love was pretty hard on Melissa, apparently her urges were so high that even a birth couldn't put her off it.

She did encourage Lukas to indulge Aphrodite at least once, it was clear the goddess wanted to very much, and it was not as if it was an unpleasant duty to share love with her. Melissa wouldn't have minded if Paul had done so too, but he absolutely denied the need to share, he was very satisfied to express their love differently until she was totally recovered.

With his and Lukas' attentions Melissa bore her own growing unrest reasonably well, and little Edward thrived under their excellent care. Paul was soon back into his old routine, working in the mornings, playing in the afternoons, and with Aphrodite staying at their house most of the time, Lukas could often join him in the workshop.

John worked most mornings, too, then spent the afternoons with Aphrodite in the apartment, and their involvement changed him from a rather humble, self-effacing shade of a man, into the self-assured lover he had been, enjoying life much more keenly because the goddess of love appreciated playing with him so obviously.

He saw Hailee regularly at the manor, and they interacted playfully, but neither made a move for the other, John transferred his regained confidence to Frances, in the secrecy of their little love-nest between the large plants of the old greenhouse, and John supposed that Hailee shared love with Marcus.

She did gain self-confidence and a certain independence at the manor, Frances told him she was reading a lot, and had talked with Ilsa for a long time about her ambitions and hopes. She was still in doubt whether to stay or leave.

Of course Melissa and Edward had a lot of visitors, all their friends and family came by, and Edward seemed to know them all, his gaze upon each newcomer, and according to Lukas his feelings much like: So this is Jakob. Glad to have finally seen him.

Little Edward's meeting with Hermes was profound, as his grandfather came in and kissed Melissa with that special intimacy they shared since Greece, Hermes looked away from her as if called, and picked up the baby first, holding him as he liked being held, nestled in the person's arm but able to look at them conveniently. His steady gaze spoke volumes.

But with Hermes, a whole conversation seemed to take place. The beautiful god stood in silence, with Edward in his arm, holding each other's gaze, exchanging a world of information for all anyone could see, and only then, after as much as five minutes, did Hermes nuzzle the little neck and kiss the cute face.

Edward stayed in his arms for the entire visit, and when Hermes left after just a short time, mother and baby still needed their rest after all, he cried in disappointment, sounding like any other baby, and letting himself be comforted by his mother's presence like any other baby.

But Melissa was not lying in bed all day, she was up and about from day two, doing any chore but cooking, watching the men cook, or sitting in the easy chair in the workshop, a bit worried about the noise and the heat of the forge, but little Edward loved the workshop, there was so much to see, he didn't know where to look first.

Though she didn't like it at all, she forced herself to leave Edward with either of his fathers at least once a day for a short period of time, to go shopping with Aphrodite, to visit Frances at the manor, often seeing Ilsa there, or just to sit and read in the garden or go for a little bicycle ride, alone or with one of the others.

Since she was always back for the next meal, Edward never cried when she left, he loved being with Paul or Lukas just as much.

When Aphrodite left, Hermes went with her, and they were on their own. Lukas spent a little more time with John, either at home or in the apartment, and George became a regular visitor once again, often bringing Frances to either sit with Melissa and the baby, or work in the garden with John.

Melissa's parents made their appearance often, and her sisters and Paul's parents once, though Sofia was a more regular visitor, staying in London in summer she sought their company more often, for with her parents on the Kenwick estate she had to look elsewhere for a little company.

The inspections resumed, as frequent as they had been, still a steady source of income for their household, and a great source of gratification for Melissa, though it was harder than she had ever expected to leave her little son behind, even in the excellent care of Paul and Lukas.

When they went to the doctor's house to practice and teach, they took little Edward with them, and Catherine adored him, had several of those unspoken conversations with him. Lukas asked Adison to let him come with her for a few births, and she allowed him to, testing the knowledge Aphrodite had left him with, and teaching him more.

On one of these visits, the mother-to-be had a life-threatening case of pneumonia, which Adison was dosing her against. She had not tried to heal her with magic, never having had a case of pneumonia before, and Lukas suggested he cure the sickness with her following the process, Lukas expected her to learn the treatment for this specific disease quicker with an example to follow.

Sending any witnesses out of the room, Lukas had carefully linked to Adison, as they had done before, taking care they wouldn't experience the need to exchange intimacies, and activated his talent.

As he went to the source of the sickness and battled the shapes that caused it, he felt something fall into place in his companion, and when they got back onto the now, the woman much improved already, Adison thanked him for showing her how to beat this dangerous disease.

They arranged for Adison to come with him on some of his excursions to the poor neighbourhoods, though the mild weather improved the living conditions of the homeless, there were still those who needed care, and it was a perfect place to practise healing magic, especially with Vincent watching their backs.

With little Edward two weeks old, Lukas was at the manor on his morning run, as he met Jonathan, who was looking for him to discuss a certain sensitive matter.

They sat on lazy chairs in the garden near the greenhouse, where they had healed child after child of severe trauma almost a year ago. Then Jonathan said: 'Rhoda and I are getting ever closer, and we really want to become physical.

But she cannot bear my touch if it gets too intimate, she is still traumatized I think, but she just accepts it and says time is needed to heal the rest of the damage.

I don't trust Hera, she wanted Rhoda's memories to hurt Dionysus, and she may not be as talented as you are in healing trauma, what if it can be improved, so we can at least stroke each other a little? I don't need to share love already, but I'd like to kiss her and sleep together.

And she still has nightmares that leave her depressed all day, something Paul is involved with, for I've noticed she has trouble facing him, yet he is perfectly relaxed with her, encouraging her to hold Edward, but whenever they meet she has to control herself not to flee from him, and she dreams the night after. She hurts.

She adapts magnificently, knows what she wants, studies hard, she even helps me with my magic sometimes, she has sight, though she cannot use her magic, it seems no power accumulates in her but mostly she has no will to try at all, she just says she cannot and I dare not insist.

I want her to be at peace, we haven't talked about the past yet, I want to tell her about mine and I want to hear what hurt her so, but she is not going to share her story with me as long as it still haunts her day and night. She will not let me stay with her to comfort her after a nightmare, she doesn't want me to touch her with love at all.'

Lukas said: 'I'm glad you're asking me, I had a feeling something was not yet right, and I'd like to help. But I want Melissa along, she can see things I can't, and I'll need her to cope with my own guilt, and my anger that might flare up when I help her process her memories.

For you are right that Paul had something to do with it, she hurt him really badly, and I love him so much. You need to be there, too, and I want George to anchor us. Paul can mind the baby, he needs to not be there.

It took Jonathan another two weeks to convince Rhoda to let Lukas and Melissa try a healing on her. To let Paul's wife and lover into her head to see what she had done to him was a lot to ask.

But before Rhoda had reached a decision, a boy banged on their door in the middle of the night. Lukas dressed and ran full speed to the Telling mansion, to help Adison with the delivery of Ilsa's baby. He arrived first, of course, and found Ilsa still in the first stages of labor.

Calming mother and father both, he waited for Adison, and when she arrived it took the usual eight hours for Ilsa to deliver a healthy baby boy. Lukas could see the difference between Ilsa and Melissa, Ilsa was exhausted but satisfied with her accomplishment, whereas Melissa had been in a much better state physically, but totally worked-up in her mind.

The little boy, who was called Peter George after both grandfathers, was much less intense than Edward, he was sleepy and content, as he had been all along.

Lukas was amazed how much his own son had grown in three weeks, he was quite a bit larger already though Edward was born a bit earlier than they had expected, and little Paul much later than expected.

They had had few comments on little Edward's likeness to himself, but in a way Paul and him didn't look that much different, they both had curly hair and a slender figure, only Lukas was a bit more boyish than Paul, but a baby was boyish by nature. It was the eye-colour and the dented lip that gave him away to those who knew.

Cleaning up the bed and the new mother was done quickly with the help of a trusted servant, and Frances had arrived by now to help the couple adjust to having a baby for the first few days.

As they sat together afterwards, enjoying a cup of excellent and well-deserved coffee, Adison asked Lukas to assist him in a birthing she expected within weeks, a difficult one she feared might end in losing either mother or child, or both, without Lukas' help to prevent internal bleeding. Lukas consented of course, and agreed to come on the next check-up visit.

Their clientele was much different, mostly well-to-do and some even wealthy, and Adison insisted on paying Lukas for his efforts.

He would take the money and invest it in helping the poor, his crafting made him enough to live on, the rest would go to those who needed it desperately.

He was still eager to have his own practice, but couldn't think of a way to make it safe to practice magic in the same place all the time, according to Mr Jones, and Adison and Victor, stories were already circulating about a young man who healed the poor, and it wouldn't do to have someone get too curious about the number of miraculous healings that was being performed.

Lukas was the only known cure for tuberculosis, a fact that should not become common knowledge, and no matter how badly he wanted to save everyone, he needed to find a way to be able to do so in secret.

Lukas ran back from the Telling house, considering taking a shower in the apartment, John never locked it and since it was around ten already he would probably be off to the estate. And if he were still in, there were other things they could do, since Aphrodite had left, Lukas and John had resumed their occasional sharing, somehow they both had a need to make their love physical once in a while.

But John had already left, and since the others would be waiting for news, Lukas took a quick shower and went to the kitchen for breakfast.

His little family was already there, and the first thing Lukas did was greet Edward, by picking him up and kissing him, relishing the milky scent of a new baby. Then Paul and Melissa got their kisses, Lukas still holding the baby, who watched everything with interest.

'It's a boy, of course, Aphrodite had already hinted at that, and he's healthy and much less interested in the world than this little fellow.' Edward got another few kisses. 'Of course that might be because he was on his way so much longer. Ilsa was tired but content, Frances arrived just after the birth, she's taking care of them. They called him Peter George.'

They went to work quickly, to have the afternoon free for a visit to their friends.

Nearly two weeks later, when Rhoda had finally agreed to let Lukas and Melissa address her trauma, they gathered in the little garden near the greenhouses. George was there, too, he had a lot of faith in Lukas and expected Rhoda to improve a lot in spirits by having her past attended to.

Jonathan would not share in the healing, Rhoda did not want him to see her memories or feel her pain, she wanted to tell him herself, and he respected that, he just wanted to be near for moral support, as he had been there for each of his lost children.

With everyone sitting down comfortably, and Melissa knowing their baby in Paul's loving care, they all linked, and Lukas touched Rhoda and activated his talent. He knew what was coming, but still it was an assault on his feelings.

Shockingly little had been done to detach Rhoda from her feelings, she was just barely able to go on living, on will-power and Jonathan's ceaseless support alone.

Lukas felt Melissa's outrage, those self-important Greek gods were so fallible, how could they have considered her cured of trauma?

He agreed but wanted to take on the memories quickly, he knew they'd start with the part he had a shameful share in. But this was not about him, and anyway, he felt Melissa's support, he had been at fault but he couldn't have known and he was trying to make up.

But before he encountered any memories, he had to remove one of those barriers the lost children had had in their minds, keeping back the memories of their pasts. This was a strong barrier, of course it held back some heinous things, but Lukas was very strong, and was through it in a few heartbeats.

Strangely enough, with the barrier removed, they were not flooded with memories as in all the former cases, but then, every mind was different. Lukas found the most recent traumatic memories soon enough.

Going over the memories of having her magic burnt out, again and again, Lukas was mostly caught up by his guilt and Rhoda's state of mind at that time, her near-total madness, her all-consuming need to get at someone, anyone, fading fast and already being replaced by deep remorse.

But Melissa managed to view the whole scene more objectively, and she tried to figure out what Aphrodite had done exactly, whether she had just willed the magic to be gone, or had focussed on specific targets and destroyed them. She intended to check the damage later.

It took a long time and a lot of power from Lukas to fade that set of memories, and then they went on to the next, the ones that concerned both of them personally because they involved the person they both loved most in the world.

Of course they had already experienced these memories when they saved John from Hera's attempt on his sanity, but these were still strong, and very hurtful. Lukas was impressed by Melissa's mental strength, for she did not flee from seeing her beloved beaten, abused, humiliated, tortured, and finally almost killed, she could even feel some compassion for the woman who did it to him, to have relived these memories of an atrocious crime every day and every night. Small wonder she avoided seeing Paul.

Lukas detached the memories immediately, Aphrodite had done it for him before, and they no longer had a hold on him, he could go over them with Rhoda until she finally let go of them, still not convinced she had paid enough, but exhausted with living with guilt as well as fear.

As Rhoda let them go, Lukas could feel Melissa following suit, though he would spend some time with her later to see if they were not bothering her.

But now they were approaching the worst memories of them all, the months in which Rhoda had been at court by day, but had been abused and tortured beneath Hermes' palace by night, subtle practices that left her skin unblemished, but destroyed her hold on reality by subverting every ideal she had ever had of love and faith.

Ishtar had seduced Rhoda to love her slavishly, by getting into her mind but also by showing her body the most exquisite feelings of love and sexual fulfilment. And when Rhoda had been totally won, the goddess had turned that love on her by abusing her herself, but also letting her be despoiled by countless others, night after night, for months, until she had finally broken.

The shame of having allowed herself to be seduced, and the fear of repercussions from their own gods for becoming involved with barbarians, had kept her from seeking help, and when the situation came to be that her uncle, who had gotten her into this in the first place, had warned her against, had asked her to create a diversion for, she had unleashed all her fear and her hatred on the person she had projected every thing that had been done to her on: a defenceless, blameless foreigner, who had done nothing worse than choose to share his love with a lower-ranked girl at court.

Though had he gone with her voluntarily, the outcome would not have been different, she'd have tortured and killed him anyway.

The thing that had been done to Rhoda was really bad, Lukas was concerned that she might never be able to physically love again.

She had been programmed by Ishtar to bring pain and misery to anyone she loved, the goddess' revenge for Dionysus keeping Lykos out of her clutches.

All Rhoda's better feelings had been turned against her, it was a miracle she could even feel attachment to Jonathan, but Lukas was not surprised she could not bear being touched.

Her feelings had all been wired in a new and perverted way, a stimulus giving the totally opposite reaction to what it should. Lukas could help her process the memories, but the wiring was still totally wrong, and might cause her to react unpredictably to physical attraction and love.

She felt some of that, for she had not kept Jonathan at a distance for nothing, if they tried to make love, she would hurt him, she couldn't help it.

Lukas appealed to Melissa for advice, and together they looked for a way to disconnect the wiring and redo it. But it was just too complicated, there was no way they could find out how feelings worked and rewire them. In the end, Melissa proposed: 'Can't you rewire her by just willing it to be? You're a god, aren't you? If it takes too much power I can feed you, if you need more, George can feed you from the node. Maybe by making love to her, bit by bit, redirecting the feelings as they come at you?'

Seeing some sense in that, Lukas thought it would be hard to do, and difficult for Jonathan to accept, letting Lukas do what he couldn't, but that would be the couple's decision.

So Lukas first went over the horrible memories with Rhoda, again and again, and they, too, receded at last. If she never tried to love again, she would not be pained by these memories, but if she tried to make love, they would be back, or she would do things to create new horrible memories.

That done, they did what Melissa wanted, and checked out her body for signs of magic ability having been destroyed.

Pretty soon they found the evidence, the satchels supposed to contain magic power were shrivelled and rendered totally useless, indeed showing signs of having been burned to their destruction. One seemed vaguely better than the others, and Lukas opened it carefully and tried to repair it a little bit.

But the ducts leading towards them were damaged as well, broken off, burnt shut, shrivelled and dead.

Again, he managed to find two that were not totally hopeless, and he healed them and brought them towards the one functioning satchel. Nothing happened, no power started to accumulate, but that might take some time.

It would never be more power than just enough to light a candle, but Melissa knew there was something they were forgetting. It had to do with Rhoda still having sight, but she couldn't think of it, this had been tired work, and they were not done yet, they still had a difficult talk with Rhoda and Jonathan before them.

They went back into the now, where Frances was ready with tea from the red jar for Melissa, and coffee for all of them.

Rhoda seemed completely restored, and she thanked all three of them profusely. Jonathan was also beaming, he knew he had been right!

But there was not just good news, they had to tell the bad news, too, and before the young couple started thinking of making love.

Lukas said: 'Rhoda, Jonathan, not all is as good as it seems now. There is still damage in Rhoda, which I could not heal from the inside.

The thing that was done to you by the Babylonian goddess, I have receded the memories, so you are no longer traumatized by them, but what she did to you has rewired your feelings, so that if you ever try to make love, or love someone intensely, the outcome will be totally wrong.

You'll feel hate instead of lust, or fear instead of love, nothing will come out right, and a lot of pain and even severe harm may result.'

This was a shock to them, for Rhoda felt just fine, she was looking forward to sharing love with Jonathan now, she could face the thought of him touching her with desire.

But Lukas was so serious, they had never seen him that way, well, actually Rhoda had, but Lukas had just receded that memory. She had never seen him that serious here in England. So they had to believe him.

'So she can never love again? Not ever?' Jonathan asked, abhorred by the very idea.

'There may be something I can do,' Lukas answered, 'but I have never tried it, and you will not like it, Jonathan.'

'Let me decide that for myself,' Jonathan sounded like an adult just now, 'no, let Rhoda decide for herself what she likes or doesn't. It's her life that was ruined.'

'Tell us,' Rhoda said plainly, dryly.

'I think I can undo the damage tiny bit by tiny bit, but I'd have to do it instinctively, will it to be gone, on the supposition I'm still a god, even here, and can do so.

But to do so I would need to trigger every single one of these faulty circuits, and that means...'

He just couldn't bring himself to say it.

'Spit it out, Lukas,' Jonathan said, 'don't keep us in the dark.'

Rhoda looked fearful, and Jonathan only a little less.

'I'd have to make love to you, Rhoda, start at the beginning, work my way through all the feelings involved.'

Both youths' faces were a study in relief: 'Is that all?' Rhoda seemed to speak for both of them.

'You don't mind?' asked Lukas, stunned.

'I'd make love to you myself, Lukas, if it had any chance of helping Rhoda,' Jonathan said, laughing.

Rhoda observed: 'It will be an honour to make love to you, master Lykos, everybody wants to.'

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Melissa would have thought it hilarious. But it was not certain at all that Lukas was right about this, and things might get dangerous, or have no effect at all.

'You will let me anchor you and feed you, won't you, Lukas, from a discreet distance?' George observed.

'You and Melissa please, George. I may need her ability to see through things as well as your node-power. This will be my biggest challenge yet.'

Melissa knew Lukas and Rhoda wanted to do it straight away, but she was a mother with a baby not even a month old, and the process had taken hours so far. Little Edward needed to be fed first, she was starting to feel uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally.

It would be a lot of hassle, but there was nothing for it, her baby needed his mother.

Rhoda observed: 'You need to go back to little Edward, don't you? I can wait, you need to be concentrated to watch over us, babies don't wait.'

As it turned out, she didn't need to wait very long, for when they came back to the manor house Paul was there, with Edward. He embraced both Lukas and Melissa eagerly, he was getting worried at their long absence, and had taken Edward in the carrying sling on the bicycle to see whether everything was all right.

Melissa took her baby and let him relieve the pressure on her breasts, as Lukas told Paul what they had learned, and what he planned to do to try to help her.

Paul agreed totally, glad now he had given in to his disquiet. He noticed that Rhoda was a lot easier towards him, looking him in the eye, showing no signs of wanting to escape and run when he greeted her, even initiating a hug, something he had left off after she reacted adversely the first time.

Little Edward stuffed himself greedily and let his dad take him with a reluctant Jonathan to see the stables and Percy, the two-headed dog. Melissa suggested using Frances' little love-nest in the old greenhouse as place of treatment. It was private, safe, and nice and hot, which both parties involved liked.

She and George stayed on the terrace next to the greenhouse, in physical contact, and Lukas took Rhoda inside. She was anxious now Jonathan was no longer with her, and Lukas soothed her as he would a child.

When they got to the little love-nest, Rhoda was amazed: 'I never knew this was here, it's so romantic! Her anxiety seemed forgotten for a moment.

'I didn't know either, until John told me about it. It's Frances little secret. If you plan to use it in the future, please ask her first.'

As they sat down on the low couch, Lukas said: 'I have no idea what is going to happen, Rhoda, I'm as much in the dark here as you are, so please have patience with me.'

She smiled benignly and admitted: 'I've always wanted to share love with you, Lukas, so if anyone can help me, it must be you.' She was almost eager now.

They started with a kiss, getting ever more passionate, Lukas' feelings rose quickly, he was not getting as much loving as he was used to, Melissa was still bleeding a little, so they could not have intercourse yet, though they had found out they could have any other kind of lovemaking.

But somehow rough loving had always been their thing, and they both missed it.

Rhoda's passionate kissing was answering some need in him, but still Lukas managed to lower his shield a tiny bit, to pick up any strange reactions before they'd have consequences.

That was none to soon, for it saved his tongue when she suddenly flared up in anger and bit down hard. Not on him, though, he had been warned and had broken off the kiss.

Immediately she felt guilt and fear, Lukas was too shocked to have seen where the anger came from, but Melissa had seen and led him to it. He saw the wrong immediately and corrected it.

Soothing Rhoda away from her guilt he dared kiss her again, trusting his empathy to warn him of any dangerous feelings.

She gave herself up to the kiss with difficulty, afraid to hurt Lukas, but she knew she had to and she had a very strong will, and slowly she got into the flow again. This time she felt anger flaring up but not enough to want to hurt him, and he knew where it was seated now and corrected it even further, not even letting go of her mouth.

Rhoda had not made love for months, and Lukas' gentleness and passion were very heady, she really wanted Jonathan but she knew he was untouched and would need guidance, this was much better for now, to explore loving in the hands of the master.

She leaned into the kiss, not feeling anger flare up anymore, just lust, and they took a few seconds to catch their breath and kissed again, and everything was fine.

Lukas took it one step further and stroked her softly, touching her hair and her face, as well as kissing her, and she wanted to touch him, too. They took off their clothing and stroked each other with heat, until he felt a sudden fear flare up in her, noting where it came from by himself this time, and addressing it without taking his hands off her body.

He felt genuine pleasure in her as well, not all was lost, it was just the unpredictability of her adverse reactions that made it superbly dangerous, not something a seventeen-year old could manage, no matter how talented.

Still stroking, she felt his muscle with pleasure, and showed an interest in his special features, never having really seen them before. This time, rage struck so suddenly she managed a hit on him, and as he reeled back she was already in tears with shame, but Melissa had caught this one and his solid muscle had caught the blow, and he soon found the error and attended to it.

He soothed her back into passion, a tiny bit more alert, but just as determined to fight this subversion and win. She became pliant again in his arms, truly harmless for that moment, the rage came over her in flashes that she had no control over whatsoever.

His skill in addressing the rage was growing, he only needed one attempt to get rid of such a connection, but who knew how many of them were left?

They were back to stroking with heat, and though his private parts felt very exposed, Lukas was willing to take a hit there too if that could save this girl's love from destroying her life.

He caught the next one in time and saved his balls from a mauling, removing the connection to her anger in one smooth action.

Making love was hard work this way, and not very rewarding for his body. But his mind was feeling a triumph, it did work, though it was a lot more painful than he had expected.

It took him close to half an hour to go from stroking to sucking her nipples, and he averted several attempts on very sensitive parts of himself, taking away the connection to her rage each time.

But then it seemed to give up, he could stroke her breasts without feeling any emotion but pure lust, so he moved between her legs and carefully licked her a few times, not getting any negative feelings again.

So he got to it seriously, making her moan and shiver in delight, her love-starved body reacting eagerly to his every move, starting to lose himself a little in rising ardour.

That cost him a black eye when she next lashed out, fortunately Melissa had miraculously kept her cool and showed him where the trouble was.

He managed to go on, detaching himself from his body a little, or he'd be black and blue for days, allowing himself to feel just enough lust to be able to proceed. Each time she lashed out at him, he had to soothe her back into passion, and they were both getting quite tired, despite the excitement.

When another half hour had passed, she had had several highs, and she wanted to please him with her mouth, a scary prospect but one he would have to face. Melissa let him know it was too dangerous, and it was, but what could he do?

He let Rhoda have his proud member, and hoped for the best, staying alert despite her expert ministrations, hoping to fool the angry part of her into action by playing his heat stronger than it actually was.

And he caught that flash of rage before an attack resulted, taking the connection away in one decided action, forever, he hoped. He loved Jonathan far too much! When she had sucked him with relish for some time without feeling anything that didn't belong, Lukas thought it was time for the final stage. And that is when she broke down in total fear instead of rage.

He felt like a rapist, a word he had learned only on this world, but he forced himself to not discard the very idea of intercourse, this needed to be addressed as well as the rage. Though the fear seemed a matter of trauma instead of rewiring, Lukas knew he had removed the trauma, and this fear could not be that of a victim of rape.

This was subversion by an evil mind, pretending to be trauma so it would be left intact.

Melissa confirmed his opinion, and pointed out the place where the wrong connection was, he had missed it in his shock at her sudden fear.

That out of the way, she wanted to go on, not just from determination to see it through, when the wrong feeling was gone it was gone without recall, and she truly felt lust and a need to have him inside her.

So he tried once more, and got no reaction that he shouldn't. He kept himself detached and concentrated on pleasing her, and was rewarded with another bout of extreme fear, and an effort to get away from him.

That hurt more than blows, but Melissa was there to keep him on track and address it.

They tried again, and this time, she enjoyed his art without feeling any more fear. Lukas feared one last all-out assault, so he kept going, but with part of him still on the alert. That was the right decision, for just before she climaxed, there was one huge wave of fear and rage combined, an all out attempt on his feelings and on his body, and there even seemed to be a feeble effort at magic in it.

Having expected it, he managed to trace it and remove it, but that bit of intense concentration on her mind did cost him, he got thrown off her with extreme violence, his face taking another hit, his testicles kneed full-force, and he literally flew through the air and landed in a totally wrong way, striking his head on a boulder and feeling a crack in his wrist.

When he got up he was barely conscious, and he felt Rhoda wrap him in her arms and lead him back to the bed. She was in tears, but they did not feel like guilt, they felt relieved.

She held him tenderly, stroked his hair and his face, and whispered: 'Thank you so much Lukas, master of love, you've freed me, I'm certain, something has lifted, the taint is gone. I'm sorry it cost you so much.'

He felt a little better already, his head bled where it had hit the stone, but though his wrist hurt, it didn't feel broken, and besides, he had healed worse in himself.

So he sealed the wound and repaired the wrist, the pain in his testicles was already receding.

Then he looked straight at Rhoda and asked: 'I'm still very horny, shall we finish what we started? See if it's safe for Jonathan?'

She nodded, and he said with his broadest grin: 'If you scratch my horn-bases, you'll meet the true master of love.'

No-one had ever resisted that smile, and neither could Rhoda. She just had to kiss him, and they started all over again, building it up slowly, but of course things went a bit faster now, Lukas was incredibly heated, and Rhoda not much less so.

Melissa stayed with them, and stayed alert, she was not risking her beloved because she was aching for some rough loving herself.

Besides, Lukas wasn't rough at all, this girl had been raped repeatedly and she needed respect.

But ultimately he did get his cue from Rhoda that it was time for him to get to the serious business, for she scratched his horns firmly and got what she was ready for, and soon he had her gasping for breath in total ecstasy.

It was over quickly, Lukas had had quite enough for one day, he wilted after one climax and crashed next to her. She thanked him, and asked: 'Do you think it's safe now for Jonathan? It'll be his first time, it needs to be free of risk.'

Lukas nodded, confirming: 'I think it is, and you'll be taking it slow anyway, if you feel a hint of rage or fear, just stop and let me know. We'll work on it.

Her eyes filled with tears and she whispered: 'You are so good, to take that risk for me, after what I did to your mate. And Melissa, she helped a lot, didn't she?'

'She did,' he answered, 'she kept her head cool and told me where the wrong connections were, so I could correct them.

Let's find Jonathan, he'll be in knots, and I bet little Edward will be happy to see his mother.'


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Jonathan saw straight away that something had changed, he caught Rhoda in his arms and rested his head on hers. 'Was it very bad, my love?' he asked.

'It was, I was totally out of control, the things I might have done to you, the very thought makes me sick.'

Her voice became a whisper as she said: 'Now I did them to Lukas, it was horrible, I hurt him terribly. He predicted some of them and stopped them, but still he got hurt pretty bad. And still he went on, for me and you.

It worked, they cured me. The memories are faded and I can bear to be touched. You can touch me now, Jonathan, and we can talk about our past.

Will you start?'

They thanked Lukas, Melissa and George once more, then excused themselves and went to Jonathan's room, where they sat on the bed in each other's arms and talked.

Jonathan told the story of his life, starting with his first meeting with Frances, Melissa and Lukas, and then telling his story backwards first, as he had remembered it under Lukas's talent, and then forwards.

Rhoda suspected that the young man she had come to love so much in just a few weeks had not had a perfect life, but hearing what he had really been through was a shock. To have been responsible for the lives of nine mentally and emotionally damaged children for two years, without resources or even an idea of who he was, it was unimaginable.

She no longer wondered that he seemed a bit older than his true age, she was amazed he had managed to learn how to have fun again, to act like the teenager he was. She really hoped she would be able to learn that as well, be young together in their spare time.

Even the knowledge that being with Jonathan would mean being around magic all the time didn't pain her. She would just cope, maybe try whether there was a tiny bit of magic left in her after all. That was a totally new thought, she hadn't thought of practising magic at all since Aphrodite had burned her out.

She found Jonathan watching her contemplations, and the look in his eyes just took her breath away. He said: 'You look like you are having some profound thoughts, would you care to share them with me?'

'I had no idea it had been so bad for you, and that you saved so many lives despite being so young and having no memory. You must be a very strong person. Even more so that you can let go and be young again. I hope I can be as strong, start a new life, accept being without magic.'

'Not completely without magic,' Jonathan observed.

Rhoda looked at him questioningly.

'Well,' he replied, 'I don't know what Lukas did, but you seem to have a tiny bit of power in you again, I can see it.'

Rhoda called fire, and a tiny flame sat in her hand. She quenched it, and looked at Jonathan in shock: 'How can that be? Hera said I'd never practice magic again.'

'Well,' Jonathan drawled, 'you can choose: either she was wrong, or she lied. I can imagine both. Lukas is very good, and Melissa can see through anything. Together they are a formidable team, they gave John his power back, and they gave me my memory back. Lucy, the shy girl from the stables, had been abused even before her magic was taken, and Lukas healed her, though she's not totally free of fear yet.'

'I can imagine Hera lying, she was nice to me but she doesn't really care about mortals. She wanted me to be an artist and marry me off. Can you imagine what I would have done to that poor chap? I preferred to lead my own life, so I ran away.

But I didn't even try to use magic, I just accepted I couldn't. I might have tried, it works differently here, but I was certain I couldn't,' Rhoda observed, 'you think they messed with my mind?'

'Possibly,' was the answer. 'I can still imagine both, but I'm not going to spend any energy on finding out. Seeing how much magic you can still practice would be a better use of your time.'

'You are right. And I want to meet the shy girl, too.

I've seen her, but I never talked to her. I too, have been the victim of abuse, though my reaction to it was mostly violent. Can you handle my tale of woe? I feel able to share it with you now. I was not a hero, more the opposite. But nonetheless I suffered a lot, and I'm very glad to feel really safe now, in your arms.'

It took an hour for Rhoda to relate her horrific story to Jonathan, and at the end of it they were both in tears. They did not feel up to dinner downstairs, so Jonathan begged Frances to excuse them this once, and they got their fare in his room, after which they buried themselves under the blanket, totally undressed, and slept clutched in each other's arms for the first time, touching and kissing, but not at all ready for anything more.

As Rhoda and Jonathan retreated, and with little Edward in her lap once more, Melissa remembered: 'We didn't tell her about the magic!'

'What about her magic?' George asked, 'don't tell me you managed to restore hers as well? She couldn't even thínk of practising magic anymore.'

Lukas observed, shaking his head sadly: 'Most of her power-pockets were totally destroyed, burned, actually. I managed to save one, and just two connections to fill them. Barely enough to light a candle.'

Now it was George's turn to shake his head, and he said: 'Think of the black mage, Lukas, he didn't have any power of his own, and he managed to practice magic. Rhoda still has her sight, so it will be easier for her.

If someone feeds her power she might still be able to practice, Jonathan has plenty, she can probably use his. It is not just power she lacks, it is the will to use it.'

Sight, there it was, again, Melissa just knew it was important to gather power somehow. Of course! The ley-lines! Rhoda had no idea that they existed, if she could use them, she could practice magic without problem. But according to George she didn't even consider it.

She decided to ask: 'George, if she can see ley-lines, she has all the power she needs, hasn't she?'

George didn't know: 'But why hasn't she tried before now? She seems so convinced she can't do magic that she doesn't even try.'

Paul suggested: 'Maybe someone put her will on Rhoda to stop her from trying? And maybe for the best, for if she happens upon a ley-line, that would be the end of her.'

'I think you're right, Paul,' Lukas mused,' remember that barrier that we removed, Melissa? That may have not been self-inflicted to stop her memories, in fact, it didn't stop them, for she was suffering from nightmares. What if that was of Aphrodite's doing, or even Hera's?'

'That would mean she might be eager to involve herself with magic again. Should she been warned of the ley-lines and especially the node?' Melissa had heard Rhoda used to be very ambitious, what if she went looking for power?

'What do you think, George?' Paul asked, 'you know her best.'

George didn't seem very worried, and replied: 'I will talk to her tomorrow, and let her try a ley-line safely. She's probably talking very seriously with Jonathan, and if she does dabble in magic immediately, he is sensible enough to warn her away from the node, if she can even touch it.'

When her friends were missing at dinner, Hailee was a bit worried, but Frances soon told her they had had a rough day and were allowed their dinner in their room for once. She said they had had a rough day, but Frances seemed really happy, so Hailee supposed that Lukas' treatment had worked, and that they would find the intimacy Rhoda had craved.

Hailee was happy for her friend, but it made her own situation more difficult. She had gotten used to the cold, and Ilsa had helped her find a job in the wool factory, in the development room where Ilsa experimented with magic to strengthen the strands so they could spin the threads thinner without the cloth ripping.

It was a challenging job, and Hailee loved it, and she loved living at the manor. Marcus was great fun and a good lover, but he was not the man she dreamed of, and clearly his father's son: he liked to share his love around, openly, especially at the raves they often visited. Hailee didn't mind his sharing, how could she, when she would have stopped sleeping with him instantly if she could have that one other.

But John was still out of reach, he was less beat, Hailee had to admit that Aphrodite had not kept him down but built him up, he was much more self-assured, didn't blend into the background anymore, he asserted himself without being obnoxious.

She realized he had often been obnoxious as Dionysus. And rather smelly. If she were totally frank to herself, which it was time she should be, she loved him even better as he was now. He was in great shape, doing work that he loved, he had raised real Greek olive trees out of the stones he had saved from the last of the olives Hermes had brought George as a present.

That should not have been possible, those olives had been salted and prepared with vinegar, but still he had done it. He could grow things at several times the speed they would normally grow, and everything thrived.

And best of all, he had made very good friends in another greenhouse, right in the city, where they kept tropical plants, that the owner let him have seeds from because John had saved several precious trees that were dying as a result of exposure to cold last winter. The winter in which John had been close to freezing to death himself.

He had told her a lot about his ordeal in head-to-head talks at the dinner table or the coffee table, but he took great care not to meet her by himself, which hurt Hailee a lot, and had set her to do some serious thinking. She had been in London for four seven-days, and had managed to do very well for herself, but the thing she had come for seemed further out of reach each day.

Did she want to face a winter here, alone?

For she did not want to make other ties, Rhoda had found her match, was on her way to being settled really well, so it was time for Hailee to face reality and talk to John, ask him outright if her staying had any value to him, and if it had not, to go straight back through the portal, to make something out of her life in the country she knew and loved.

The thought of leaving John behind upset her immensely, and she found herself fighting tears. But no matter how much she kept postponing this difficult moment, it would come, and Hailee decided it would be tonight.

After dinner, she would borrow Marcus' bicycle, and pay John a visit. She would bring her personal effects, and if John rejected her, she would pretend to go back to the manor, but she would in fact go straight back to her own world.

She knew the teleport spell for Dionysus' former place, and she knew she would be welcome there, the current steward Petros was a very good friend. She didn't love him, but she could help him and would have a home with him until she knew what she really wanted to do with her life.

Part of her realized that she didn't expect John to want her, she was in fact expecting to be back in Greece that night. Half a year searching for the man she loved, and it had come to this.

It wasn't his fault, nor hers, he had just changed so much, and to be honest, she had, too. She had felt at a disadvantage here from the start, surrounded by gods and the mortals they seemed to adore. It was her own world upside down, and she had sought refuge in deferring to her master.

But he had adapted totally, and didn't seem to remember the time when he wanted obeisance. His rejection had hurt her, and made her even more insecure.

Living at the manor had taught her much in what they called a month, and she now knew how men liked to be treated in this world.

Well, she was going to give John a piece of her mind, and then ask him to be honest with her, and they would both have to live with the consequences.

There was no way Hailee could eat, and of course Frances noticed. She sat next to the girl and put an arm around her. Hailee was going to miss Frances a lot.

'You haven't eaten a thing, Hailee, aren't you feeling well?'

It was just impossible to lie to Frances, that would be a crime, and Hailee found herself telling part of the truth: 'I don't feel well, Frances, I still love John so much, and he doesn't seem to care for me at all. I need to know, for I'm settling in, but if he rejects my love, I want to go back to my home-world. I can't live like this anymore, I'm so unhappy.'

'And with Rhoda finally in good hands you decided it must be tonight.'

See, Frances understood. Hailee nodded sadly.

'Will you take the carriage? I know you can defend yourself, but I'd feel more comfortable knowing you're safe.'

Hailee could not resist so much friendly concern, and her tears came rushing out. That was the last thing she needed, puffy red weeping eyes, and tear-streaked cheeks.

'Don't worry, love, John doesn't love you for your beauty alone, he loves your independent spirit, and I for one am sure you still have it. Never mind your tears, just tell him what hurts you and have it over with.'

Frances gave her a big, loving hug, and ordered the carriage for her.

Feeling bad for misleading her, Hailee packed the few things she was really attached to in one bag, then waited outside. It didn't take long for the driver to have the carriage readied, and she got in and arrived at the corner of the right street within minutes.

The driver turned the horses and went back, and Hailee walked towards the house.

To her horror, no-one answered the door, and for a moment she felt totally lost in this oversized street with huge brick buildings and just a few large trees placed in neat rows along the pavement. She could only barely check her tears, all her resolutions evaporated, and she became a small girl, lost in an alien world.

Sitting down on the doorstep, finally beaten, and unable to resist her desperation any longer, she cried. A window opened in the house next door, and a woman's head came out, saying: 'If you're looking for the neighbours, they're in the garden, they cannot hear the knocker from there. Just knock on the garden gate.'

Hailee considered leaving, she was just not up to facing John's friends, they were so... so happy, she guessed. For they were nice enough, Lykos sure was nice, no, they were all nice, but they were so close, and she always felt so lonely around them.

They had each other, the love between them was tangible, and John was included in it, where she was not. She just couldn't do it, walk in crying, her face a mess, John would be embarrassed again, with her making a scene. If he rejected her, she wanted to keep a semblance of dignity.

She thought of how she would get back to the manor, she was not scared, Frances was right, she could fight off any attacker with magic.

And she knew the way, it was not difficult, she had cycled it her second day in.

A hand touched her shoulder, and she was so deep in thought that she nearly jumped in fright. 'Easy, easy now,' said a familiar voice, 'come here, love.'

John's English still sounded a bit different from the people around her, she had asked him once why that was, and he had answered that he had learned it on the streets of London, where the people spoke differently from the higher class that Marcus and his family belonged to.

Hearing his voice caused her heart to skip a beat, and her love for him flared up, as it always did when she saw him.

But how had he known she was out here?

As he took her hand gently, and gathered her in his arms, he said: 'The neighbour told us there was a beautiful girl sitting on the doorstep, crying her eyes out. The others sent me to check it out, suspecting it was you. It hurts to see you cry, love.'

She just couldn't speak, she was memorising everything, the sound of his voice, with that queer accent she was just starting to appreciate, the feel of him, so tiny compared to what he had been, but nonetheless firm and strong, his scent, reminiscent of their glorious times, but admittedly better, less stale.

She just held on to him and let her tears flow freely, it didn't matter anymore anyway, he liked his women spirited, but hers was quenched, she had searched for him for so long, but it had all been in vain. She'd leave tonight, lonely, but she'd been lonely for more than six months now, she was used to it.

Meanwhile, John was feeling just awful. Having her in his arms, totally lost in her grief and he suspected, loneliness, he realized what he had done to his sweet girl. She had searched for him for months, left everything behind, and he had just dismissed her, because he hadn't liked the way she greeted him.

She loved him, with her whole being, and he had spurned her love, ignored his own feelings because she didn't live up to the ideal he had dreamed up of her in the London winter, wasn't the angel who had kept him going through cold, hunger and pain. And humiliation.

And to thank her for coming to find him, he had humiliated her, he had not even given her a chance to talk to him in private.

As he held her in his arms, still crying, his eyes fell on the bag on the doorstep. If he wasn't mistaken, that was everything she owned. She was crying because she was leaving! He had chased away the woman he loved, and he would never see her again, for he knew by now that he would never return home, could never return to Greece.

He felt his chest contract, and his throat burn, and before he knew it his newly found Victorian self-control shattered and he clung to her and cried as desolately as she.

Hailee was lost in time, trying to make the most of the few moments she had left with the love of her life, when she felt John's hold on her tighten to almost painful, and she felt him shock a little, as if he were crying too, passionately.

Surprised, she looked up at him and saw him as lost in grief as she had been moments before. But why?

She tried to catch his attention, but he was truly far away, so she kissed him once, on the only spot she could reach, his cheek.

That did get his attention, but to John it felt like a farewell kiss, and at that very moment he finally understood his own heart. He didn't want her to leave, he loved her, needed her, he had always just assumed everything would be all right between them in the end.

Everyone had told him they just needed time to adapt, that they would reach an understanding when the time was right, and he had believed it. But he had not taken into account that she had nothing to keep her here without him, Rhoda had found her other half here, that much was clear, and Hailee was left all by herself, whilst John had amused himself with Frances, and Lukas.

And now she was going to leave him here, all alone.

'Do you have a key, John?' she asked him.

He fished his key out of his pocket, but suddenly he realized the portal was inside, if he let her in she would go.

With a choked voice, he asked: 'Why do you want the key, Hailee?'

'Come on, John, don't you have any dignity? All the neighbours are probably enjoying the show hugely. You want to walk the street a celebrity tomorrow?'

She was a good actress, as she imitated a gossipy neighbour: 'Look, there's that tiny foreigner who wept louder even than the tiny foreign girl.'

She took his hand and walked towards the door, saying: 'I don't mind, but you have to live here, let's take it inside.'

So she was going to leave. Maybe if he begged her she would stay? But she was right, not here, inside.

She took the key from him and opened the door, then went in, still holding his hand, and he followed her inside meekly.

'To your apartment?' she asked.

Yes, yes, that was actually further away from the portal, he could beg her in his own apartment just as well as here. He nodded in assent, but she was already moving, still holding his hand, pulling him along, actually.

She dumped her bag in front of Paul's door, see, she was going to leave, as soon as she had given him a piece of her mind.

Then she moved on, up the stairs to the apartment, and straight in. As soon as they were inside, he closed the door with his foot, and fell at her feet, clutching her legs.

She had actually never seen John's apartment yet, and she looked around curiously, her fear of rejection overcome by a kind of desperate courage.

He closed the door behind them with his foot, and just as she wanted to propose they sit down for a little talk, she felt something clutch her legs, and she looked down. John was at her feet, at her feet!, and begged her in an urgent whisper, his voice broken by emotion: 'Please forgive me Hailee, please don't leave! I never meant to hurt you so much, I thought it would all work out in the end, I thought we both needed some time!'

That was not the way she wanted to see any person, let alone the man she loved more than anything. He might no longer be a god, he might be just John now, but John had more dignity than Dionysus had ever had, he didn't beg anyone for anything. This was demeaning.

And as she kneeled beside him to lift him from his knees, to get him to stand up and face her with dignity, she realized that this was what he had felt when she prostrated herself for him in the cellar of this very house.

It was very embarrassing to have that done to oneself, and she urged her beloved: 'Don't do that please, John, that is humiliating. Don't lower yourself for anyone, and certainly not for me. Get up, please, get up and hold me, you're upsetting me.'

'But I'll die if you leave me,' he protested, back in her arms by now.

'I can handle pathos,' she said, laughing through tears, 'you always had more than your share of it. But please do not beg me for anything, and certainly not before you've asked.'

She wanted to kiss him, so badly, but she needed to know. He had begged her not to leave, but he had not actually said he loved her and wanted to be together with her. Maybe he just wanted her around, to have someone to talk to.

'Why do you want me to stay, John?' It was not very eloquent, but Hailee had reached a point where words just failed her, she needed to know where her future lay.

She sat down to hear the truth, and he asked her, in a husky voice: 'May I kneel before you?'

Kneeling was not demeaning, not always, so she nodded her consent and said: 'You may kneel, but be dignified.'

He kneeled before her, and laid his head in her lap for a second. His arms were clutching her tightly, as if he was afraid she'd take a sprint for the door.

Then he looked up at her and said: 'I want you to stay, Hailee, because I love you, and if you left me, it'd kill me. Will you please stay with me, and be married to me, and raise plants and children with me?'

She looked at him and saw true love in his eyes, and agony in his bearing.

'Beloved, I never wanted anything else than be yours. I love you so much, and I will stay with you, and I will marry you and raise anything you want together. Children would be nice, but plants are fine, too.'

He laid his head in her lap once again, tears falling from his eyes without the slightest hint of pathos, and he didn't say anything, he didn't need to for she could see he was happy with her answer, happier than she had ever seen him.

He said: 'I do need you to know, Hailee, that I can never return to our home-world. I've known fear and humiliation here, but I have also found true safety in this world, and I never want to live without it anymore, I don't want to be constantly looking over my shoulder again.

It would kill me to lose you, and I could never raise children, knowing Hera would be trying to hurt all of you forever and always. I'd rather be cold sometimes, and work for a living, knowing you are safe.'

That had her in tears again, and she quickly kissed him, before either of them would say something else that would make the other cry again.

They didn't speak for some time, Hailee moved to sit on the floor beside John, and they just clung to each other, needing nothing besides being close. His arms around her, his head on her shoulder and his breath in her neck, his scent enveloping her.

After some time they quieted down a lot, and Hailee started to feel the hardness of the floor-boards, so she moved to the bed, taking John with her. They sat, still silent, still doing nothing but being together, until John whispered: 'I'm so very sorry, Hailee, for neglecting you all this time. I was very embarrassed when you deferred to me, I was humbled by my experiences, and I just couldn't handle worship.

It felt as if your love had never been real, had always been just the love a subject felt for her god. And I wasn't a god anymore, so I couldn't cope with that love anymore.

I should have talked to you about it, instead I waited for you to discover the real you, and the real me, certain everything would be all right after some time. But I never put myself in your place, all alone in an alien world, rejected by the man you loved.

And when I saw your belongings I knew you were going to leave me, taking away my chance to ever get together with you. I panicked.'

She stroked his dear face, as familiar to her already as his former pudgy one, and gave him little kisses on his eyes, and his soft cheeks, and his beloved mouth, saying: 'I was very unhappy, for I knew I had done something wrong but I didn't know what, I just did what I always did to please you.

But I was quite unreasonable, too, I wanted you to be back as you had been, big, smelly, obnoxious. And not for your own happiness, but for mine, to make me feel comfortable, I didn't want you to be small in so many ways.

In our time apart I have come to love you all over again, as you are now, even better to be honest. You certainly smell a lot better, and I can't wait to find out how much better you'll taste.

I've missed you so much, John, I love you so much, will you make love to me now? I never wanted anyone but you, but I'll share you with Frances, and Lykos. Oh, I guess I better start calling him Lukas if I'm going to stay.'

John kissed her, with passion now, and said: 'Well, we may live in London, but we don't need to turn into Victorians straight away. Let's just see how things work out.'

It had been such a long time since they had made love, and they had both changed so much, Hailee getting much more independent, and John fallen from godhood to utter misery, that their first time together was really like that, getting to know the other all over again.

Hailee relished this new man, his body was reduced, but his feeling had grown immensely, and his skills were as sharp as ever. He lavished attention on her, not to indulge himself in being a really great lover, but because he loved her, and wanted to make her feel good.

He had been nice to her before, had always given her the feeling of being special, but now she realized it had been the kindness of a master towards his underling, there had always been condescension in his loving, the feeling of bestowing an honour on her, and in her, the delight in having her master releasing his every whim on her body, a slavish devotion to her god, but also a true pleasure in making him happy.

Now, they were equals, John a small man desperately in love with a beautiful woman, and eager to please her and make her feel special and loved. She, an independent woman, the man she had loved in subordination now hers in truth.

Much was as she remembered it, his familiar scent, though decidedly less rank and therefore even better, but still a clear reminder of the past. And his gentle devotion to her pleasure, for gentle he had always been, or she wouldn't have come to love him so much. For though he had clearly been her master, and very self-confident, arrogant and even obnoxious, he had always shown her his true sweet nature, and given her a clear insight in his own sensitive character, well-hidden from his other worshippers.

This side of his nature was now dominant, and it didn't make him weak, it made him irresistible She wanted to show him how much she loved his true person, not just his mind, his new body as well, that she didn't want the old Dionysus back anymore, that she had come to love John even more.

Their loving was filled with memories, and hopes for the future, and as they finally got to touch each other again with the intimacy they had longed for so much, it was not just sex they were having.

It was a profound experience, and they both found themselves overflowing with pure emotion, feeling tears of intense joy on their cheeks as well as decided lust in their bodies.

John relished Hailee's familiar curves, her smooth belly, her breasts that still fit exactly in his hands, her lovely skin with its feminine scent, her glossy black hair, and her beautiful, loving face, the face that had kept him going through his half year of Hell.

He stroked her with love, and kissed her, and was incredibly glad just to hold her again.

And Hailee was intensely happy to nuzzle his slightly loose, very soft skin, now starting to gain some colour from working outside in the strengthening sun. She smelled it, and licked it, and even bit him a little at some point, he was so incredibly appealing now he was clean.

She ran her hand through his shoulder-length hair, and stroked his smooth cheeks, exploring his totally new body, no longer frightfully thin, nicely muscled in places, a thin layer of fat elsewhere, he even had a cute little belly again. Life was good for John, and that little belly belonged to him, Hailee had truly missed it a few weeks ago, when she last saw him naked and he had still been very lean.

After their renewed connection, their overwhelming love started to turn to passion, John's tender touch becoming eager, his mouth sucking her nipples, sending flashes of heat through her, his incredible hands setting her body on fire everywhere they stroked her.

Their kissing became more intense, and Hailee felt a fire between her legs that demanded instant gratification. Having always been rather submissive towards Dionysus, letting him do with her what pleased him, Hailee now felt herself free to sit on top of John's solid erection, and feel him slide inside her.

The burning intensified, and she groaned her satisfaction and kissed him once more, riding him in ever rising bliss. She could see he liked her taking the initiative, and when the burning had been lessed a tiny bit by getting indulged, she removed herself from him and sat on his face.

He liked that even better.

His hands opened her tantalizingly, and his mouth dug in, relishing her softest flesh, sending shudders all through her, bringing her to total ecstasy, leaning against the headboard of the bed, until she had an intense high, and he took a firm hold of her body.

He lifted her off him, and gently laid her beside him, then jumped her with glee. And as she felt him enter her once more, she knew him again, for his touch on her inside had not changed one bit. It was just like the old days, so firm, and so good, he still remembered every place where she liked to feel him, and he didn't have to take a breather once, he had such stamina.

And then his little belly touched her, and she could hardly think anymore, she had almost forgotten that little trick of his, he had been so proud of that. And rightfully so, for even with only the slight protrusion he had now, it was just incredible, so good..

Hailee let herself be taken over totally by her bliss, such happiness to be in the care of her beloved again, and more so, for he had promised they would be together forever.

John was showing extreme ardour now, he managed such speed, and such force, he was so much stronger than he had been, and he let himself go totally, Hailee suddenly realized he hadn't done that before either.

There had always been some measure of control left in him, as if he realized how vulnerable he was in that moment of exquisite passion, and expected to be betrayed. The thought was very hurtful, what kind of life did he have then, to not be able to let go even in the heat of making love?

Her own thoughts were now interrupted by the rush of a climax coming on, a very strong one, shuddering its way out of her to an incredible release.

His efforts intensified, and she could see total abandonment in his features, bliss already building up inside her again. She adjusted her position slightly, and felt the world start spinning as he put in his last, and best, effort, causing them to climax together, then crashing on top of her.

She remembered how he had always been very careful not to land on her too heavily, but now his weight on top of her felt incredibly good, he was heaving, sweating, and yes, weeping.

Why? It had been better than ever, hadn't it?

At the questioning look in Hailee's beautiful eyes, John tried to say: 'I suddenly realized I never dared let go then, I was always alert for danger, especially when in a vulnerable situation. I'm so glad we are here, together, able to just be together to the exclusion of everything else.'

But he didn't have enough breath to say it, he had pushed himself to the limit and over it for his newly gained beloved.

She was so different, had so much more initiative, so much more character, and still she was the same sweet, beautiful girl he had loved for years, when she was still his subject.

Fortunately she could see he was out of breath, and she loved him for it, holding him, comforting him, until he could speak again and told her how he had suddenly realized things were so much better now.

She had noticed, too, that he used to keep control, how incredible was that?

They clung together, choosing to talk more, and save the loving for another time. There was so much to be shared, felt, planned.

John asked Hailee to move in with him, but she wanted to be sure his house-mates were all right with that before she consented. 'They are so close, and you are part of their group. If they don't let me in I'll be very lonely despite having finally caught you, my greatest love.'

Of course that turned out just fine, Lukas already liked Hailee a lot, and when she turned out to have quite a will of her own and a subtle sense of humour, Paul and Melissa had to agree with Lukas that Hailee and John getting together was the best thing that could have happened to either of them.

'Besides,' Paul said, 'if John were to move out, who would do the garden?'


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

A few weeks later, Edward surprised his parents with his first smile, and Lukas finally felt the impact of his own smile, seeing it in full force on his own son's cute chubby face. From that very moment on he had it used on himself regularly, the broad one, emphasising the delicious dent in his lip.

It was indeed irresistible, and Edward got kissed a lot. Fortunately, Lukas' own smile still worked, and he got his equal share, he needed the love as well, after all.

They were all very satisfied with their lives, the days were long, the weather was generally fine, the garden was lovely and John and Hailee were so much in love, they were a joy to behold. They had actually married within the week, in a ceremony led by George, much like Melissa and Paul's on the manor.

Rhoda and Jonathan were also a hot item, they were experimenting with magic together, for Rhoda had indeed found back her will to practice magic, and with Jonathan's personal stash at her disposal she was picking up the particulars of using magic in England pretty fast.

She could see the ley-lines, but didn't dare touch them, yet, she wanted a few months more experience before she tried that.

They all went to the occasional dance together, leaving little Edward and little Peter either with Frances, or, if she wanted to dance too, with Melissa's parents.

Melissa thought that John did still share love with Frances occasionally, and John and Hailee both seemed to share with Lukas, sometimes together, sometimes apart.

Paul and herself never had any desire to share anymore, those days were over, they were perfectly satisfied with each other and whatever love Lukas wanted to bring them. Well, actually Melissa had a secret fancy to put John through his paces once, she had had a weak spot for their small friend ever since she met him in London the first time, but it was not a strong desire, more like a small inclination that she felt from time to time, easily ignored.

After discussing the portal with George, Paul had decided to shield it against anyone but Hermes and Aphrodite, they did not want any more incursions of people or gods from that other world. And one day, when Edward was about four months old, Hermes did indeed come upon them as they were spending their evening with Hailee and John.

Hermes came into the living-room through the cellar door and, after greeting everyone present, asked Paul to remove the shield from the portal, for there was someone who had a request for John. Curious, Paul went down to the cellar and dismissed the shield.

His jaw dropped as a wise old head came straight through the mirror, and Zeus, of all people, started to crawl out.

Paul quickly helped him to get on his feet, and took him to the living-room.

Once seated, both gods were offered a glass of wine, and Zeus didn't even bother to find a private space to talk to his other son, he just begged: 'Dear Dionysus, my boy, your brother here tells me you plan to stay on this world. Please tell me that is not true, please tell me you will return to us, and liven up our lives once more!'

To say that John was surprised is quite an understatement, he was stunned. But slowly, he started to come to life again, and he was not flattered or even pleased to be so addressed.

Hailee saw his face tense, and she quickly took hold of his hand to offer him her silent support.

John said: 'I am called John now, father, and I seem to remember that you voted to have me killed a little less than a year ago.'

Of course Zeus knew this as well as John did, and he replied: 'True, true, but Hermes and Aphrodite tell me you have changed a lot, and are now totally trustworthy in their opinion.'

John let a little resentment show, and said: 'I know exactly how trustworthy I am, father, but that is not the reason I choose to stay here: I also know exactly how far I can trust your lady wife, who hunted me all my youth, then argued loudly to have me executed at my trial, and sent a nasty spell to lie in wait for me at the portal. I thank you for your trust, but I have found love and safety here, and this is where I will stay for the rest of my life.'

Zeus did look guilty at this, he had known about Hera hunting him and had done nothing to protect his son from his jealous wife, and he begged: 'But we need you, my son, your palace stands empty and your people are without love and guidance.'

John shrugged, he actually shrugged at the father of all gods, then observed: 'Then let your lady wife decide who will get it, she must have a grandchild somewhere whom she can deed it to. My future lies here, with Hailee and hopefully a few children, safe and sound in good old England. God save queen Victoria!'

John was getting positively audacious now, and clearly, Zeus wanted him back really badly, for he did not relent: 'But my dear son, things are really bad since you left, there is so much fewer love going around without your jolliness, and the vines are ailing without your blessed presence, and no-one knows how to have fun anymore.'

'Don't be a hypocrite father, I've never been your dear son, you never acknowledged me, you never lifted a finger to save me from your wife, you were as ready as she was to condemn me. And look at me, look well. I am no longer jolly, or funny, or drunk, I have no business being worshipped, none at all.'

Finally, Zeus took a good look at his least-liked son, and observed: 'You are a good deal thinner, are you doing well?'

'I'm fine, father, thanks for caring.' John sounded positively accusing by now, it was clear he had as much anger against his father as Lukas had had, more so, for Hermes had been a good father to Lukas in his youth, whereas Zeus had ignored John as totally as Hermes had Katarina.

Starting to realize that pathos was not going to work, that he had too few claims on his son, that there was no connection at all between them, Zeus started to think. He had actually been glad to see Dionysus leave, to leave the whole matter of his punishment to Hermes, to not have to end the life of one of his own children, and see his wife gloat over it.

Hera had always been so unreasonable about this particular by-blow, she'd never tried to kill either Aphrodite or Hermes, and Zeus had never felt like confronting her over it. The little baby had been a mortal without Gift, why bother?

No, they had been well-rid of the obnoxious god of wine, had been his opinion. Until things started to get totally out of hand, vineyards all over the country were dying, their owners losing heart with their prayers staying unanswered.

Parties were spoiled when celebrants got total silence as a reaction to their sacrifices to Dionysus, and their requests for blessings went unanswered.

Apparently Dionysus had kept up a better connection to his worshippers than to his family, for they were all aware that he was no longer amongst them. His whole following was in disarray, mourning their beloved idol, blaming the other gods, especially Hera.

There was no feasting anywhere, people had stopped making love, even among Zeus' own worshippers. It seemed many of them had paid homage to Dionysus as well, on special occasions, or on the days they generally had fun. They dedicated their joy in life to Dionysus, and without him it didn't seem to be worth much. The situation was even worse than the thing with Katarina and the satyrs, for the insurgence was much more widely spread.

And they didn't threaten to overthrow the gods, they just lost all heart. They didn't demand their favourite god back, they sank into depression and stopped working and playing altogether. The whole Greek society was feeling low, and they all knew Zeus' wife was to blame.

Zeus remembered Dionysus as he had been, and just couldn't believe anyone missing him, the loud, drunk, smelly blob of a man, who used women openly, discarding them whenever a prettier one offered herself to him.

John was still very angry and hurt, and from what Zeus had told him, he could have no idea how bad the situation really was. So Hermes felt called upon to describe it to him: 'John, there are no excuses for what Hera put you through, and for our father's neglect of you.'

Zeus looked insulted, but since what his favourite son said was actually true, and they really needed Dionysus back in his place as jolly god of wine and feasting, he kept his silence and even managed to school his face back to shame and regret.

And it worked, for the small, healthy looking chap that his senses told him was his son, listened to his respected brother, and his face became less angry, and a little more open. He liked Hermes, Zeus could see that easily enough, though his older son had taken Dionysus' magic and left him in London, where apparently, he had lost his weight, his pride, and his trust in people.

But Dionysus didn't seem to hold that against Hermes, nor did he strike Zeus as particularly humble or despondent, he seemed well-content, except with his father's presence.

Hermes told them: 'Things are really bad without you, John. Your worshippers are in mourning, they seem to have your pathos, for they just don't care anymore. It started with them refusing to drink any more wine, and since that doesn't hurt a person much, we thought we'd see what happened and hoped it would pass.

But it didn't, they also stopped feasting, not just local feasts and birthdays, but also religious holidays and worship of other gods, even those people who only asked your blessing when they drank a glass of wine.

Of course the gods felt that, they had less power coming in, and then it got worse. Hera has gotten most of the blame, she's getting pretty weak.

Your own worshippers have stopped caring, they don't work anymore, they eat little, they never make love anymore. They just sit and cry and pray to you and hope to get an answer.

And our worshippers aren't much better, well, actually mine are, because I have recently spent so much time with them, they know me now and trust me, but all the other gods are feeling the disapproval of their worshippers. There are fewer offerings made, and fewer prayers said, and fewer blessings asked. The people don't celebrate anymore, and they have taken to praying for your return, too.

Everyone loves you, John, and they are desperate to have you back.'

Hermes' quiet explanation made a devastating impression on John. Who would have thought that his people would actually miss him? That they had even noticed he was gone was nothing short of a miracle.

Did they truly love him? But why? He had been arrogant, selfish, obnoxious, he had expected humiliating obeisance from his worshippers, how could they have loved Dionysus? He felt his throat burn and his eyes brimmed quietly.

His friends were looking at him with satisfaction, they probably thought he deserved recognition from his family.

Hailee put an arm around him and kissed him, and her support enabled him to speak the two words that were in the front of his mind: 'But why?'

'What do you mean, why?' asked Hermes in a kind, low voice, it was obvious John was very much touched by his report.

'Why do they love me?' was the choked answer, 'I never did anything for them.'

'I suppose you did, John,' Hermes observed, 'maybe you were too drunk to notice, but apparently you blessed their raised glasses, and answered their questions about ailing vines, and gave them inspiration to feast and make love.'

Though very much impressed by the presence of Zeus, Hailee did come to her beloved's defence, and in a clear voice she said: 'You were the sweetest, most loveable god that ever lived. You always had a kind word for everyone, you always treated your girls right, and your staff, and you always answered prayers.'

'I suppose I was nice to people, but that was because I was drunk. When they prayed with problems I said: I am so sorry for your problems, but I'm sure everything will be fine, just take really good care of those vines and all will be well.

Or when they asked for a blessing I called out: Be happy, dear people, I certainly am!

They were just drunken ravings!'

John seemed seriously upset, and Hailee started to show signs of it, too, how could John deny his good qualities so persistently, he had been a very good master, always.

Lukas now sat on John's other side, and instead of trying to calm John down, he offered him his curly head. The distraught little man immediately started to caress the curls, and the horns beneath them, taking care to not work Lukas up too much.

The activity calmed him, and Hailee relaxed as well, still giving her beloved husband little kisses now and then, she loved him so much, and he deserved to finally get some recognition for the good he did, instead of always getting put down for being drunk or selfish.

She was so sure that every one of his girls had always been very pleased to be with him, he had seen to all of their needs, even three at the same time. And even when he had already started to single her out a little, when she had fallen for him personally, she had never been jealous of the other girls, he had so much love to give, to everyone.

'You were always good to people, John,' Lukas echoed her thoughts, 'I remember arriving in your court depressed and lonely, but within a week you had me loving you, yearning to be physical with you, just because you were so incredibly nice and attentive. And so very appealing, with your sunny face and your gorgeous big body.'

It was clear that it pleased John very much to hear that, but it also hurt him: 'And even if I can believe that people love me, I'm no longer who they expect me to be, I can't be jolly or tubby anymore, I was diminished and that will never change.'

'But you can offer them real advice now, John,' Melissa put in her two cents, 'and you can give them serious blessings, you still have so much love to give. You don't need to be drunk all day to be a good god of wine and feasting, do you? You can make wine, and celebrate as you do here, with a few glasses, no more. It would be an excellent example.'

Trust a Victorian to see a moral in everything, John thought, but she was right, he could see godhood as a job with a large responsibility, he could manage his estates, and his realm, and his vineyards. And grow coffee-bushes. And be warm all the time.

But the danger...

'I can never go back,' he said decidedly, 'it is just too dangerous. Hera would let me set things to right, until she had her power back, and then the attacks would start again, and I'd be scared again, all the time, and I'd start to see enemies everywhere, again, and that would lead me to do foolish things again.

I can't do it, I want to lead a small life, and be happy and safe. Another god will take my place, one who is not damaged by fear. I'm not irreplaceable, let someone more worthy have my former duties and the elevation that comes with them, someone who actually wants to be worshipped.'

Now Zeus felt underrated, as if he couldn't control his own wife. She was very vindictive, true, but if the father of the gods ordered her to leave his son alone, she would, and he said so to Dionysus, whose ridiculous new name he could not speak out loud.

But even as he said: 'I will forbid Hera to continue this absurd dislike of you, and she will leave you alone,' his mind automatically tacked 'probably' to it. For in fact, he didn't expect her to let go, and Zeus still didn't care. Dionysus was smarter than her, and he had an incredible following, she could never get a hit on him.

'I will not risk my wife and my future children! If you're not even sure, how could I sleep in peace even one night? Your beloved wife would not hesitate to strike out at any of my loved ones. I'd rather raise them here, in a tiny apartment in London in freedom, than on a huge estate in your world, in constant fear.'

'How did you know what I was thinking?' Zeus demanded to know.

'I have friends here who can read even a god's mind,' John answered, 'they warned me you didn't even care whether she continued her blind vendetta against me, even though I never lifted so much as a finger against her.'

John was sitting on the sofa, with Hailee and Lukas in his arms, and he said with determination: 'I'm done with you, my answer is no. I'm very sorry things are going badly back home, but if you had indeed killed me they would not have been any different. I'm glad to have you visit, Hermes, and I'm glad your people are not suffering. You have taken care of them as your duty demanded.

Please leave now, father, and don't come bothering me again, I'm done with godhood.'

And then Hailee spoke up: 'But John, your people need you! You cannot leave them like this, they trust you and depend on you! I thought you had become a better man here, not a selfish one. You have a duty, and you need to perform it.'

John was crushed. To have his beloved wife criticise him like this, call him selfish. He hid his face in his lap and covered his head with his arms, not with them anymore.

'John, I'm sorry,' she said, seeing how much her reproach had stung him, 'I didn't mean to hurt you even more, I meant, can't you just think about it? There would be compensations, you'd have your own vineyards again, you'd make a lot of people happy, and your family, I don't think you're selfish, John, I know it's for me you want to stay here, you want me to be safe. I was just concerned for all those unhappy people, I was unhappy without you, too.'

He looked up and took her in his arms to console her, for she was crying by now, and he knew she hadn't meant to speak so harshly. She just felt the responsibility, she would make a great wife for a god.

And he did feel the responsibility, too, he even thought he might be able to bear it, Hermes had allowed his people a lot more freedom, and he could do that too, to have more of a life of his own. But that one thing...'

'I would love to go back home, John,' Hailee admitted shamefacedly, 'I'm quite happy here, but it's so cold, and nobody cares, I mean our friends do, but the rest of the people just don't care for others anymore. And they all say it will get worse in winter. I'd rather care and have the power to make a difference.'

'But the danger, love! I can't have Hera murder you in your bed, or whilst we make love, I'd never have a night's sleep, I'd start to become paranoid again,' John was in terrible doubt. He wanted Hailee to be happy, but seeing her in danger would kill him slowly.

Hermes now stepped in, and asked: 'Do I understand you right that you wouldn't mind coming back if you were certain that Hera wouldn't go for you anymore?'

'I would love to go home,' John said softly, 'I do feel bad for my people, and I want to grow coffee and grapes, and I know about delegating now, so the worship wouldn't be that bad. It's like running a factory, just a lot of responsibility. I would so love to be warm again, really hot.

But I want my wife and future children to be safe.

And yes, I want to be safe myself, for I was always alert for danger. I'd rather be cold than paranoid.'

'As would I, love,' Hailee now admitted, 'you can be a better man here because you are not afraid all the time.'

Hermes bowed and said: 'Then father and I know what our task will be. We will talk to Hera, and find out her will on this matter, and if she agrees to let you be we will take her here to meet the new you. Can you accede to that?'

'I can,' John answered, 'for Hailee, and for my people. And for coffee.'

'We will be back within a week,' Hermes said, 'things are really bad, we need help quickly.'

As Hermes took his father's arm to go back to the portal, and Paul followed them down the little stairs to put the shield back on, Paul heard Zeus ask: 'What's coffee?'

A cunning plan shaped itself in Paul's mind, and he left it there to let it grow and ripen, if it were any good.

John was still stunned, and he asked his friends: 'Do you think I should go back, to save my people?'

And it was clear he was starting to doubt himself, but Paul said with determination: 'No, John, I don't. It is not due to your disappearance only that things have started to go wrong, it is also the way that the other gods treat their people.

Apparently even those who were not your worshippers liked you, and Hermes is well-liked since he started to take his people seriously. It is the responsibility of the other gods to treat their people better and let them have some influence over their own lives.

But if you do get guarantees you'll all be safe, and you both have a desire to return, then I think you'll be a very good god, to me, not liking worship is a better trait for a god to have than the opposite.

Ruling a country is hard work, and you seem to realize that, but as Hermes has found out, you do not have to do everything by yourself. Delegate, and you'll have time to spare to grow grapes and coffee.

We'll miss you, though. I hate to think of our lives without you, we've grown so close.'

John loved to hear Paul confirm his own thoughts, it wouldn't be so bad to rule, for one could delegate.

And the very thought of leaving his friends nearly brought him to tears again, they had saved his life and they had loved him better than anyone except Hailee. He would miss them, too. But before he would start to imagine his life on a vineyard, he would wait to hear what Hera had to tell him, and most of all, what the elves would tell him about her thoughts, for she could tell him all she liked, if they warned him she was not entirely truthful, he would stay in London not matter what happened back home.

Paul did not want to see his friends leave, he had come to really appreciate John's quiet kindness, and he would miss him very much indeed, but he also thought his friend would be a perfect ruler. He had the experience, his people loved him, and he had no desire for power or obeisance left in him.

With Hailee supporting him, they would have his worshippers back to happiness in no time, and it would be such a good thing for John to have his own vineyard to experiment with plants.

Though John never ate or drank to excess anymore, and didn't make a flashing figure anywhere, he would certainly be able to throw a good party.

He had gained so much feeling and yes, true self-assurance, not the loud bragging which many people saw as self-confidence, but the quiet knowledge that he was a good man and worth loving, his people wouldn't recognize him at first, but when they did he would prove his devotion to their well-being, and they would come to love him even more, just like Hailee.

Only a lot less physical. They both shared, but Paul guessed that John never had three girls gracing his bed at the same time anymore, nor would he ever again. Probably.

Anyway, Paul knew how to influence Hera's mind towards John, and he took care to have everything he needed ready and waiting the very day after the visit, for he had a feeling it wouldn't take a week before they came, the situation sounded rather desperate, their visitors would be coming earlier rather than later.

And so they did, for the day after that, just after dinner, Hermes came upstairs to ask admittance for Zeus and Hera, his father's spouse.

Paul asked Melissa to make a pot of coffee, using coffee from a small package he handed her, whilst he let their visitors in. She didn't ask any questions, she merely smelled the package and smiled knowingly. He went into the cellar, as Lukas went upstairs to fetch John and Hailee.

The situation was a bit tense, for much was riding on Hera's true thoughts.

Paul assumed Hermes had not told Zeus who had read his thoughts last time he was here, and if the father of most gods were to try to send them out of the room for the conversation, it would be very suspicious but to no avail, for he would not find out the silver statues in the living-room had anything to do with it.

Hera looked about Frances' age, she was not unattractive, but looked very worn down and tired, and she did not seem to have the natural goodness Frances exuded. Paul bowed to her and her husband in greeting, but he couldn't talk to her easily, knowing she had tried to have a helpless boy-child killed, time and time again.

And she had left Rhoda convinced she could never practice magic again, which wasn't true, and the girl had still carried a huge trauma when she came to London, which Hera was supposed to have cured. Paul thought the woman was much like a fraud, but way more powerful.

She did not look powerful now, though. Something was clearly riding her, and when he looked closer, Zeus wasn't looking much better either.

They had not exaggerated, things had clearly been deteriorating rapidly, the goddess who had persecuted his friend without reason and without mercy, was now suffering for it.

That could make her even more dangerous, but if her need to placate her enemy made her hate him even more, it would certainly come out and her thoughts would sign her own doom.

As they arrived in the living-room, the cups and chocolates were already on the table, but Melissa was still in the kitchen and Lukas was not yet back with John and Hailee.

Their guests took the time to admire the room, and soon they heard footsteps on the wrought-iron stairs. Lukas went in front, with Edward on his arm, John was next, and Hailee followed, as if to make sure that John would not turn around and run off.

John was obviously very afraid of Hera, even though she was not a god here and she showed her difficult situation clearly. Still, being hunted by someone from the moment that you were able to walk cannot but damage a person. Their dear friend must be counting the attacks she made on him at this very moment, and how he managed to escape.

He must be picturing Hailee in that situation, or maybe even a little child of his own, for Hera had shown no mercy to himself as a child, so why would she spare his offspring?

A ringing voice in his head said: 'She is not planning to murder you at the spot, John, besides, you are an easy match to her strength, she is much weaker even than she looks, you could squash her like a bug right now.'

So nice of them to let Paul know, too. If John decided to do what they practically advised, at least Paul could throw up a shield to protect Edward and the furniture. For he supposed he wouldn't protect Hera, he couldn't say he liked her much.

The elves' comment somehow put some heart in John, and Paul touched him as he passed him by, knowing that John would feel strengthened by his little gesture. And indeed, his small friend had lost all the fear in his posture, and had even gained some pride.

And so he should, he wasn't the supplicant here, he was the figure with the power.

But he didn't rub it in, John was not like that, he just sat down on the sofa, flanked by Lukas and Hailee, and Paul led their guests to a seat of their own, and helped Melissa bring in the coffee.

The smell would give it away to Hermes and the others instantly, and as Melissa poured everyone a cup, Paul did indeed see some eyebrows raised.

Hermes said: 'Father, Hera, this is the best invention ever, coffee. Is it Victorian?'

'It is not,' Paul replied, 'I believe it has been known for a century at least, but it is ever improving in flavour.'

They all took a sip of the hot coffee, and of course everyone except Zeus and Hera already knew that this was not their regular coffee, but Frances' brew, which Paul had asked her for to make John even less expendable.

The divine couple was totally stunned. They did not speak for a minute, but took another sip, and another.

Then Hera whispered: 'That is just incredible. What is it? And when is Dionysus coming?'

That worried even Zeus. Paul didn't think they loved each other, maybe they never had, but to find your divine mate unable to use sight must be disconcerting to anyone.

Lukas, clearly under instructions, got up and delivered Edward into Hermes outstretched arms, where he settled comfortably, looking around with serious dark eyes, as Lukas, back in his herald's role, answered Hera's questions: 'Mistress, we call it coffee, it is made of beans that grow on a bush in very hot countries. And Dionysus is already here, though he goes by the name of John ever since he was left in this city and deprivations greatly diminished him.'

He did not tell her that John was sitting right next to him, let her do some thinking of her own.

Either the coffee was starting to take effect, or her brain did function a little still, but she looked at John in surprise and shock, and said: 'You're him? But you're half his size, and you haven't said one word.'

And still John didn't speak.

'I expected Dionysus to feel triumph over getting the best of me. You don't look like him, and you don't act like him.' She was still stunned, and frankly, not very well.

Paul looked at Lukas, trying to ask him a question, and Lukas touched his mind and said: 'Neither of them is going to find out if we talk like this, they haven't got the power. She's in a very bad state, she needs love, soon, or she will fade away. But I'm not going to give her love, she repulses me, always has. Either she lives, or she dies.'

Lukas had never refused to heal anyone, even the filthiest beggars he had touched and healed, though not by giving them love. But still, it was clear he felt the same loathing for this once-powerful goddess, who must be totally without humanity.

As if in answer to Lukas' negative feelings, his little son looked at him and smiled, changing Lukas' feelings for the better instantly, and causing Hermes to melt at the spot, hugging and kissing the little charmer.

Now John spoke, softly, surprisingly gently: 'I don't feel a triumph, Mistress, for not so long ago I was as near oblivion as you are now. It taught me humility, feeling for others, and especially love, true love. For the people I had hurt most, saved me, and I have lived with them ever since.'

He looked around at his friends, Paul, Melissa, Lukas, little Edward, he wanted to stay with them so badly, but the possibility of him staying was diminishing rapidly.

'I know you still don't feel the slightest remorse for what you did to me all those years, when all I ever wanted was to live in peace. You made me who I was, you and my uncaring father here. I have been told I could squash you like a bug right now, and I know my friends wouldn't stop me.

Paul here has even let you taste coffee, I am planning to start growing it on my vineyard when I return home. He wants you to realize I am the only one who can give you coffee, that I am no longer expendable.

But I find I don't care anymore. I suddenly realize I can take care of myself. Once I go through the portal, I will become the most powerful god in your realm, and though I have greatly changed, I guess I will stay very powerful.

And I have friends now, Hermes here and Aphrodite are on my side, and I guess their friends as well.

If I return, I will take care of my followers, and of yours. They will find joy again, and they will drink wine again, and make love, and work. You will feel better within days, and maybe your hate against me will start to burn again.

But I warn you, if you try to kill me again even once, or try to act against anyone I love, I will not flee or take it anymore. I will rise up and avenge myself on you, not just for that one time, but for every time you tried to take my life, every time you took someone from me who was dear to me. And my friends will help.

So choose now, do you want me to come and save you? Or do you get rid of me forever and hope the situation will resolve itself?'

John didn't sound gentle anymore, he spoke with great power, and it was clear that his nemesis took him very seriously.

Paul was very proud of him, and so were Hailee, Lukas and Melissa, and even Hermes, holding on to little Edward, who looked at John, when all the others waited what Hera would say.

Hera spoke: 'I choose to live. Please save us.'

The ringing voice said in their heads: 'And so you win, John. May you rule wisely, but also have a lot of fun. We will miss you, though.'

And Zeus said: 'Well said, my son. I hope I still have a chance to become one of your friends. When will you come back?'

'We will come with you straight away, for one week, to save what needs to be saved. Then we go back one week to say goodbyes and arrange for seeds to be sent over, and pick dates for visits.'

Then his face fell and he started to weep openly, embracing all his friends, and saying: 'I don't want to leave you, I love you all so much. Can I give little Edward just one more kiss? I can't wait a whole week. And I'll miss my bicycle so much!'


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Paul understood that John needed to go back immediately, his people needed him now, not in a week. As Hailee went upstairs to the apartment to pack some necessary items, Paul went into the kitchen to make a packet of tea and of coffee to take along.

Meanwhile, Zeus wanted to meet his great-grandson, who was still very pleased to be with his grandfather. The powerful old man and the month old baby exchanged some looks, and Edward let himself be kissed, even by Hera, who had no claim on him at all, and had caused all the others to keep their distance from her with a certain unpleasant feeling.

Of course a baby could not know the things she had done, but still it did not seem as if Edward was oblivious of what was going on, it seemed more like he was giving her something by letting her kiss his innocent chubby face.

It was quite a profound moment, and it added to Melissa's feeling that there was more to their boy than they thought.

Both Zeus and Hera had the discretion to not stick around when John got his moment with Edward, as Hermes handed the baby over and John sat down with him and just held him close. John forgot everything else for a few moments, holding the trusting child in his arms, his dark eyes giving John confidence that he could do this, that all would be well.

Then Edward smiled, his face lighting up, the resemblance to Lukas undeniable, that broad smile as powerful already. John had to cuddle him, and kiss him, and let Edward pull his longish hair. He sighed: 'I'm going to miss you, Edward. Will you visit with your parents? Please?'

Of course Edward didn't speak, but he looked as if he approved.

Then John handed him back to Melissa reluctantly, and hugged both of them together. Paul got an intimate hug, too, and said: 'Let us know how things work out, please, don't leave us guessing.'

Then Hailee returned, and they were ready to go.

Lukas was in tears of course, and John pleaded: 'Will you watch me get my powers back? Through the portal? That will be my last vulnerable moment, think of the power all those people will give me. I will be able to keep both myself and Hailee perfectly safe. See you in a week.'

In front of the portal they kissed Hailee, and said goodbye once more to John, and everyone went through it, Hermes just before John, to make sure he would be safe on the other side. Paul said to Lukas: 'You watch him, he's your old friend, and you can help him if he needs it.'

And so Lukas saw John kneeling on the mosaic for what seemed a long time, lighting up ever more with the healthy power of tens of thousands of worshippers.

Hailee stood watch over him, as well as Hermes, until John finally rose, his posture proud, his face glad, and he kissed Hailee, then moved towards the portal and kissed Lukas one last time, for now.

But John was not ready to move from the room just yet, he was buried in supplications, prayers and offerings, and he did not stir from that room until he had answered every single one of them.

Hera and Zeus soon left through the teleport, but Hermes remained and brought Hailee and John food and drink.

After some time, Lukas left, it was bedtime in England, but John was still there, blessing wine, and children, giving good advice on caring for vines, until he was totally worn out but literally glowing with power.

With Hailee's consent, Hermes carried him to one of the chambers of the villa, there would be a lot of organizing to be done once he was back in his palace, he would get more rest tonight in the lonely villa. But for now, his own worshippers were aware their god was back, in excellent spirits, and more attentive to their needs than ever.

And other gods' worshippers also knew he was back amongst the gods, and some decided to change allegiance to the only god who really answered their prayers in person, and some went back to worshipping their usual god, improving the health of most Greek gods, but they would pray to Dionysus again, every time they threw a party or drank a superb wine, for somehow both improved so much with his attention.

And as Hailee settled in his arms, delighted to be warm again, and to lie in the arms of the man she had wanted so much, she felt truly happy, not afraid at all to find Hera hunting for them, or plotting against them.

John was now the god he was meant to be, and she was convinced all would be well. Except: 'John, will you able to handle being called Dionysus again? I don't think your following will like changing your name to simple, English 'John'.'

His smile set her heart racing, he was so incredibly sweet and good, his people would be stunned to meet the new him, and he said: 'I didn't make up John, you know. It started with the London people shortening my name to Dion. I suppose if you call me Dion in public, most people will adopt it, they wouldn't dare shorten their god's name, but if his wife starts they'll certainly follow. Much easier, a shorter name.'

He was tired, had worked so hard tonight he could not for the life of him find the energy to make love to his dearest wife.

So he asked Hermes to bring him up to speed on the situation in his palace and on his grounds, until he was ready to drop with exhaustion.

Hermes then went to his own chamber, and within minutes, John had fallen asleep beneath the loving hands of his lady.

She stayed awake a little longer, relishing the warm night, and the warm body beside her, his face peaceful in deep sleep. She went over her memories of her beloved, starting with the moment when she first entered his service as an awe-struck innocent girl. How she had feared her first night with the huge and loud god who had taken a fancy to her, for she knew his reputation as a superb lover and his love for beautiful girls, but not what she would be expected to do with him in his bedchamber.

She had been a virgin, and though she felt honoured to be chosen by him, and admired and loved him as one was supposed to love one's god, she was very much afraid as well. He was so overwhelming, with his large body, his noisy habits, and his overpowering smell. Then their first night had come.

He had dismissed his other girls before calling her into his presence, and as she prostrated herself before him he had spoken to her very softly, calming her nerves, and encouraging her to get up and sit with him in his arms. Of course she had done so, feeling more than a little anxious.

He had not touched any part of her that was private, he had just held her and asked her about her childhood, and her hopes for the future. He had always encouraged her to think further than just pleasing him, helped her to get educated, and form an opinion on important subjects.

But that first night, he had been especially gentle, taking his time to get to know her, making her feel comfortable.

And then he had wakened her passion, still very gently, until she touched him freely, and he could touch her, too, without frightening her. He had given her the choice to leave it at that, let her go to her own chambers still a maiden, until she would come to him of her own accord.

But once her heat had been stirred, it did not recede by itself, she found she really wanted to know what would happen next, and she convinced him that she was ready to take the next step immediately.

And then he had stirred her passion even more, had skilfully led her towards her first high ever, and when she wanted nothing more than have the burning feeling between her legs relieved, he had moved his imposing body on top of her, taking care to support most of his weight on his arms, and he had gently entered her for the very first time.

Such was his skill, and his gentle care, that the feelings he evoked overcame any hurt she might have felt, and she just lost herself completely in his kind attention to her passion. To Hailee, it was as if her body had been sanctified by him, and she felt such adulation for her master, that it would take a long time for her to start to see him as a man as well.

After this first experience with making love, they talked about it, had snuggled, stroked and kissed each other, and after that, he had done it all again, and now her body knew what was coming, and it welcomed his touch.

For nearly a year she just worshipped him, wanted him to choose her every night to grace his bed, had no desire but to please him, to accept whatever he saw fit to give her, with intense love and admiration.

But her master had not been pleased with her thoughtless obeisance, and he had taught her how to think for herself, and broaden her mind in general, as well as tell him what pleased her, what she liked to have him do with her in bed.

Slowly, her mind grew, and she started to see him less as an infallible god, and more as a normal man, with doubts and fears.

And as she developed this side of her character, he started to single her out more and more, not just for loving, but also for talking, and discussing. Her devotion for him changed into real love, the love that realizes its object is fallible, but loves it even more because of that.

Then she got competition in the shape of a lush, foreign woman, who sat with her master for hours, talking to him, making love with him but in a disturbing way. He'd often sport bruises, or whip-cuts, or a tender spot in a very sensitive place.

Worrying, Hailee asked what was going on, and at first Dionysus had just told her how his new lady had given him sensual experiences beyond the physical limits of his body.

Hailee had kept her own council, and had cleaned the open wounds so they wouldn't infect, and soothed the other marks with a loving touch and herbal remedies which Dionysus still made by himself from herbs, kept in a miniature apothecary in his palace.

But later, he had described some of the acts she had performed on him, and had taught him to perform on her, and he confessed his new woman wanted him to perform those deeds on his girls, too.

But Dionysus just couldn't bring himself to hurting his girls, not even to have them experience the exquisite feeling the pain evoked when done the right way. It hurt him even to think of it, and he braved the displeasure this caused the woman, and no doubt suffered some more exquisite pain as a result.

That was when Hailee had finally spoken up and pleaded him to send the woman away. When he couldn't even seem to think of that anymore, she had yelled at him in anger and frustration. He had born it almost submissively, his spirit already partly broken.

All this time, Lykos had lived in the palace as well, and Hailee had shared love with him regularly, whenever the master had another favourite, or when Lykos seemed to need it, he needed a lot of love and felt very lonely and inferior, because he had been take away from the little family he loved and he had no Gift.

But he was such a skilled and spirited lover, and such a generous and competent character, that Hailee would have loved him even more dearly, if her feelings hadn't been totally her master's already.

Lykos loved the master too, as much as Hailee did, but Dionysus didn't share love with him and Lykos didn't dare to ask. And when the frightening foreign woman got hold of the master, Hailee had sought comfort with Lykos, though not confiding in him.

She knew the master loved Lykos above what he felt for his other servants except herself, but she could also see the woman had an interest in Lykos, the bitch watched him often, and tried to involve him in her games, and Dionysus once confessed to Hailee that the foreign woman wanted Dionysus to try her painful lovemaking on Lykos.

But Dionysus refused, and was not going to budge. He started to become more and more closed, telling Hailee ever less and only summoning her to dress his wounds, or soothe his fears, or make love to her very, very tenderly, always sending her away immediately afterwards.

Finally, he put distance between them, and almost never summoned her anymore. Then Lykos went on a mission to his father's palace, and disappeared, without leaving a trace. The evening that the news reached Dionysus' palace, the master summoned Hailee to him and he was in a bad state, he had clearly been thrashed.

Hailee had treated his wounds, but he hadn't been in any condition to make love, and the master had urged her to visit her family for a week, and he seemed concerned for her health as well. She heeded his advice, though she found it hard to leave him behind in the clutches of the monster who had done this to him.

When she came back, the foreign woman was gone from court, and the master seemed a little less tense, though he mourned Lykos' loss very obviously. Hailee was often summoned by herself, or asked to stay the night when the other girls were dismissed.

Hailee was also sad about Lykos, but she was glad to be with the master so often, and to see him no longer the victim of the nasty foreign woman.

Their bond tightened for another six months, and then came that fateful evening when she was sharing his bed with two other girls, and he recoiled in pain suddenly, losing consciousness for as much as ten minutes. When he came to, he was distraught, and very frightened. He fled to his hiding place, and soon after that, Hermes and Lykos turned up.

Lykos' plea convinced Hailee to give him up, something in her knew the master was indeed responsible for the misdeed Lykos mentioned, and she couldn't say no to his frantic plea. Lykos had always been above scheming and pettiness, and he was now a god, and Hailee respected him and Hermes.

But she felt really bad for her beloved master, afraid things would go bad for him, and so they did, worse than she could ever have imagined. She also felt guilty for having given him up to Lykos and Hermes, as if she had betrayed him, and that guilt made her look for him even more diligently than just the love she felt for him.

It was a miracle he had survived, and though he had suffered immensely, he had also grown immensely, and Hailee was certain his people would be the gainers. And Hailee herself, she would give her life for this man, who was also a god.

And with that thought, she snuggled against his warm, sleeping body, and gave herself up to a deep, dreamless sleep.

When she woke, she was alone. Alarmed, she ran outside, and saw her beloved on the terrace with Hermes, talking away intimately, like the brothers they were. Hailee quietly withdrew into the bedroom, and dressed.

Then she joined them, and was greeted by a radiant John, who held his arms out to her and took her in a heartfelt embrace, kissing her as if she had been away from him for weeks instead of half an hour. Hermes looked at the scene with approval, and when they had their attention back on the world, he said: 'Good morning, Hailee. I trust you slept well?'

'I did, thank you Master,' she answered, 'thank you for your kind hospitality.'

The beautiful god smiled at her and said: 'I would appreciate it, Hailee, if you would just call me Hermes. I know you are a mortal, but you're a good friend as well, and married to the most powerful god of our beloved country. To me, we are equals.'

She bowed in acknowledgement and assured him: 'I will, Hermes, I'm glad you consider us to be good friends. I hope you will introduce me to your family, I have heard much good of them from Lykos. Will you come with us to the palace?'

'As soon as you are settled I will bring Ophelie and Katarina and Galan to meet you. They will want to hear the news from their English friends as well. But for now, I have duties to attend to, and you two have a huge task before you.'

Hermes was obviously very glad to have John back, and he the duties he mentioned were clearly not unpleasant ones, for he seemed eager to get to them. He gave John the spell to activate the teleport to his palace, and also back to the villa, and John was surprised: 'You have connected my teleport to the villa?'

'I did, I hope you don't mind, when I delegated the running of your palace and estate to Petros, I dropped in on him once in a while to see how he was doing. I was very pleased with his performance.'

John replied: 'I don't mind at all, I'm glad you took such an interest in my people's well-being, and I only wondered why you'd go via the villa.'

'I went through the villa because few people can come here, making it a little safer. I always hoped you'd come back, and I wanted you to come back to a well-organized situation. Paul taught me how to delegate, and I tested my ability on your staff. It worked above expectation.

Had you refused to come back, I would have offered to take up your divine duties and leave the business part to Petros.'

John seemed very pleased to hear this, and he said: 'That is very good to hear, for I was planning to follow Paul's life-style here: work all mornings, play in the afternoons. I know I'll get supplications at all times, but I will answer them from my vineyard.

Isn't it strange how much of an impact mortals can have on one's life? I know you and the rest of the family are glad they live in another world, but I will keep my best guest-chamber for their sole use.'

Hermes made a hopeless gesture, and said: 'I'm their worst victim, a virtual slave to their logical minds and their kind hearts. I can only hope you'll do a better job than I in getting them to visit, if you get Frances to visit here I'm sure she'll take George.'

John seemed to grow a few hands, radiating confidence, and with a broad smile he stated: 'I may not drink myself into a stupor every night anymore, and I may eat moderately and exercise, but I still know how to throw a party!'

Then he shrunk and became really sad to look at, and said: 'And if that doesn't work, I can always play the pity card. They really love me, and wouldn't leave me all alone with just my beautiful wife to keep me company, now would they?'

Hermes was truly diverted by John's liveliness, the small god was really ready for this.

They took leave as brothers, and Hermes went through the teleport to his own lovely wife, and Hailee and John looked at each other, held hands, and then John spoke the spell for his own palace.

As they found themselves on the beautiful mosaic in his own palace, John was momentarily overcome by feeling. He had really never expected to see this place again, and certainly not in the favour of the other gods and with such incredible power.

There was no-one waiting for them, for they were not expected, and John asked Hailee: 'Do you remember Petros? No-one comes to my mind.'

She replied with a fond smile: 'I remember him, I shared love with him often, and I recommended him for this post.'

At John's surprised look, she elaborated: 'Hermes asked me first, but I didn't want it, I wanted to look for you, not be bound to your property. It was useless to me without you. But I never found you, and all this time Hermes knew exactly where you were. I try not to think of it, or I'd become very angry.'

'Don't blame him too much, love, he and our sister saved my life, though the price was high. But I hardly ever remember, I'm just beyond happy to have you all to myself. Or will I have to share you with Petros?'

Hailee kissed him, and said: 'I never loved Petros, I just shared with him because you liked someone else better than me and I felt lonely. I shared a lot with Lykos, too, at that time. He was even more lonely. I'm glad he has found happiness, even though we'll miss him here.'

'I should have listened to you, but I was a different person then. I didn't even need her grotesque way of having sex, Lykos could have shown me a whole new world of lovemaking, but I was afraid to be rejected by a mere mortal.'

'But I was a mortal,' Hailee objected, 'you were never afraid to open your heart to me.'

Bowing his head in shame, John admitted: 'You would never have rejected me, you were raised to worship and obey me, it took me a year to teach you to think for yourself just a little bit.

You could give your opinion and even sound advice, but you could not have rejected me, I was too much your master. That is why I doubted you in England, I thought I had been mistaken about your personality.

I hoped you had gained independence when you talked back to me, argued with me, yelled at me even, about Ishtar, but when you fell at my feet in the cellar I was afraid I'd imagined it all. I'm sorry I underestimated you.'

'You didn't, John, you are right, I could not have rejected you. I loved you first as my master, and second as a man. But even if you hadn't returned my love, I would have kept on loving you, I had been raised with it.

My time in England without you, and seeing independent women, and making my own decisions, it did teach me a lot, though I was unhappy too.'

She changed the subject, this was no time to think of the past. 'Let's find Petros, I want to see the rest of the palace.'

'And I especially want to see my vineyard, but duties first. Let's go. I'm glad you found out you love me for who I am, I don't want worship from you anymore, I hope you'll always speak your mind. I may be the god, and I'll do my duties, but I don't like to be worshipped anymore, and I really need you to make it bearable.'

She kissed him to promise she would, then she took his hand and led him up the stairs, and into the palace.

Back in London, Lukas was inconsolable of course. John had become one of the pillars of his life in London, and to have him leave so abruptly was a real blow. He understood, he had faced the same dilemma, had decided otherwise, but Lukas wasn't an established god, he didn't have people depending on him, a palace, an estate.

And his life-partners were not from his homeland.

His life was here, with Paul and Melissa, and little Edward. John's home was in ancient Greece, with his worshippers, his vineyard, and of course, Hailee.

Three people were doing their very best to console him, and they were succeeding very well. Edward looked at his father very seriously, until Lukas just had to cuddle him, and then he suddenly though of Frances, and his own grief disappeared instantly.

'What is it, Lukas?' Melissa asked him, 'this is not about you, is it? You know there was nothing else John could do, we can visit whenever we want.'

'Frances,' was all that Lukas said.

'She'll expect him tomorrow,' Paul said, 'we'll have to do the work in the afternoon for once. We'll all be there when you tell her. But Lukas, she will be all right, she is very strong, and she has known John would settle from the first. Don't worry too much for her.

She will miss him, though, her buddy in the garden.'

Edward was smiling at Lukas now, and of course he could not resist that cute little face, he kissed the chubby cheeks and they talked for a while, without words.

Paul and Melissa sat together, looking at the scene before them, hearts melting. Seeing Lukas so intensely happy with his little boy, Melissa couldn't even remember being so afraid of having a child to care for.

Lukas had been totally right, they all shared the responsibility, and all their family and friends were eager to help out. And having friends with a child the same age was just such great fun.

Melissa was of two minds seeing John leave. On the one hand, she would miss him a lot, he fit into their lives so perfectly, and they had had great times together.

But somehow he was too good for what he had been here, his qualities lost on manual labour, his chances of his own business in what he was really good at limited to what Frances was willing to grant him, some space in her greenhouse, a field on their estate.

But John was so much more, Melissa could picture him living a small life easily, but she felt much happier picturing him running a large vineyard, experimenting with new breeds of grape, introducing coffee to his ancient world, raising exotic trees and plants in a little corner close to a well.

But especially, she pictured him teaching his people how to live their own lives, to pray to the gods for help and support, but to solve most of their own problems by themselves. Hermes had done it, Aphrodite was working on it, and Melissa truly hoped John would be next.

'I wonder how he will like being called Dionysus again,' she said to her beloved men.

'He won't,' stated Paul.

'He'll be the best god ever, and the people will call him what he likes,' Lukas said.

And that was totally true.


End file.
